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HAMBURG / MELBOURNE. At the ATP Cup in Melbourne (February 2-6) the German team will play in Group A against Serbia and Canada. That was the result of the draw in Australia’s second largest city. Alexander Zverev, Jan-Lennard Struff and, in doubles, the Grand Slam winners Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies are on the field for the German team, with Mischa Zverev acting as captain. Group opponent Serbia is defending champion and is led by world number one Novak Djokovic, the Canadians start with top player Denis Shapovalov.
„Serbia with Novak Djokovic is of course tough, but the Canadians also have a strong team in Denis Shapovalov and Milos Raonic, who – if he is fit – is very dangerous with his experience and his serve on the fast ground, ”said captain Mischa Zverev. “But we don’t need to hide with Sascha, Struffi, Kevin and Andy either. Sascha is in a very good mood, trains well and improves day by day. With Struffi we have a very strong number two who can keep up with any pace and can beat any other number two in the tournament. In the end, a lot will depend on the doubles and with Kevin and Andy we are absolutely in the best position.
Due to the Corona regulations in Australia, the players still have to train alone or with permanent partners. The German team will therefore be able to meet in Melbourne on January 30th at the earliest. “Meeting as a team at such short notice is very unusual. But the team is in an intensive exchange via WhatsApp, is already planning the first evening together and is very much looking forward to the first training together, ”reports Mischa Zverev, who is on his brother’s training team.
The $ 7.5 million ATP Cup will take place immediately before the Australian Open. The Serbs had won the final against Spain 2-1 last year. At the event with twelve teams, 14 of the best 15 players from the world rankings are represented, only Grand Slam record winner Roger Federer is missing.
Host Australia is there with a wildcard. Four groups of three are formed. Two singles and one double are played per match. The group winners advance to the semi-finals. Last year Germany were eliminated from the group stage after just one win against Greece.
At the start, the German team will meet Canada on February 3 at 10 a.m. Australian time. The matches will be broadcast on Sky as well as on Servus TV and online on ServusTV.com. More information about the tournament on www.atpcup.com/.
The groups at a glance:
Group A: Germany, Serbia, Canada
Group B: Spain, Greece, Australia
Group C: Austria, Italy, France
Group D: Russia, Argentina, Japan
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