As the 2021 season is about to end, the focus has shifted towards the upcoming year. It opens with the Australian Open, and players will be involved in certain events prior to the first Grand Slam event of the season. This includes the ATP Cup which has become a prominent event in which top players represent their nations.
There has been a positive update with respect to the ATP Cup in 2022 and 2023. As compared to the 2021 season, the number of competing teams has risen from 12 to 16 countries, next year.
Organizers have also decided to hike up the prize money and it will now be $14million in 2022 as compared to the $10million shared between teams this season.
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ATP Cup to have a reduced version in 2022
Tennis Australia has decided to conduct a shorter version of the ATP Cup at two venues in Sydney again. This year, the event was held in Melbourne. In the inaugural edition, the matches took place in Brisbane, Perth, and Sydney. The finals would take place in the capital of New South Wales i.e. Sydney. The prize money back then was $22 million.
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In the first season, Serbia beat Spain in the final to seal the first-ever ATP Cup title. In 2021, Russia managed to beat Italy for the championship.
In the future, organizers have decided to implement the original structure of the tournament. From 2023, there will be 24 nations competing for the top honor, similar to the inaugural edition. Therefore, the prize money received by players will be the same as the amount in the inaugural tournament.
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Soon after the ATP Cup, players will shift their focus towards the first Grand Slam event of the season, the Australian Open. It will be interesting to see which nations go deep into the event and which player carries their team to glory.
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