Alex de Minaur and Ajla Tomljanovic are among the many stars main Team Australia on the inaugural United Cup this week in Sydney. However, earlier than play begins on the Ken Rosewall Arena on Thursday, the host nation took the chance to swap the follow courts for town once they visited Campbells Cove on Tuesday.
De Minaur, Tomljanovic, Jason Kubler and Zoe Hives shared smiles and jokes earlier than they posed for pictures by the Sydney Harbour Bridge forward of the 11-day occasion.
“We thrive playing for our country, representing the green and gold,” de Minaur stated. “There is always a lot of passion and pride and it is a great time of the year. We are in the Aussie summer, ready to start 2023. There is no better place to be.”
“Aussies thrive in team competitions,” Tomljanovic stated. “You see with the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup, we made finals and I don’t assume many individuals would have picked us to be within the final two standing.
“When I played for Australia for the first time, the camaraderie and the vibe of the team over that week was great. We see each other a lot during the year but don’t get to talk much. But when we come together it is like we have never left, so it is something in the culture.”
The United Cup, a mixed-teams occasion consisting of 18 nations, will likely be contested in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney, with 4 nations advancing to the knockout stage in Sydney. Each United Cup tie will comprise two males’s and two girls’s singles matches and one blended doubles match to be performed throughout two days, with the event working from 29 December-8 January.
Team Australia, spearheaded by Nick Kyrgios, will begin its title quest in opposition to Team Great Britain on Thursday night. Team Spain, led by Rafael Nadal and Paula Badosa, are additionally in Group D.
“It is exciting,” de Minaur stated. “It is a new event in tennis. Innovating in this great sport and I think it will bring a new audience. We have a tough group, but we are happy being the underdogs. We just have to give it our all, that’s all we can ask for ourselves.”
Photo Credits: TENNIS AUSTRALIA