The Hopman Cup Preview: A Look Into Tennis’s Most Underrated Exhibition

by Cody Fitzpatrick

The 2017 tennis season will kick off on January 1 in Perth, Australia with the 29th Hopman Cup, a mixed-gender international team tournament headlined by the always-controversial Nick Kyrgios, teen phenom Alexander Zverev, and all-time great Roger Federer.

This will be Federer’s first appearance in the event since 2002. In its 2001 edition, he and Martina Hingis won the title 2-1, over the Monica Seles-led United States team.

The tournament, named for Australian tennis legend Harry Hopman, has morphed over the years from a competitive battleground for top players into more of a fun warmup for the Happy Slam. And with FAST 4 scoring (no let calls, no ad, four games win a set, tiebreak to five at 3-3) being used in the tournament’s mixed doubles matches this January, the ITF event will look more like an exhibition than ever.

Still, the 2017 competition looks to be captivating, if for no other reason, because the Australian Open is right around the corner.

The Field

Group A

Germany:
Despite the absence of world No. 1 Angelique Kerber, Germany are slated to be one of the most exciting teams in the tournament. The reason: Alexander Zverev. At 19 years old and 6 feet 6 inches tall, Zverev is by nearly all accounts the games most promising teenager. Having won St. Petersburg in September, he’s already cracked the top 25. Zverev’s teammate, Andrea Petkovic, isn’t too bad either.

Switzerland:
Thanks to the IPTL debacle from earlier in December, Perth Arena is the new expected site of Roger Federer’s long-awaited return to tennis. Federer, who announced in July that he would be missing the remainder of the 2016 season to recover from his knee surgery, will pair up with 19-year-old Belinda Bencic in what will be a crucial tuneup for the fast-approaching Australian Open.

Great Britain:
Team GB — featuring 2016 Wimbledon mixed doubles champion Heather Watson and 2015 Davis Cup champion (though he lost both rubbers he competed in) Dan Evans — hope to win their first Hopman Cup title in the tournament’s 28-year history. Watson was close in 2016, when she and Andy Murray went 2-1 in the group stage, losing to eventual champions Nick Kyrgios and Daria Gavrilova.

France:
While neither team member has a top-1o singles ranking, France — represented by Richard Gasquet and Kristina Mladenovic  — cannot be written off. The duo have a combined four Grand Slam doubles titles, and Mladenovic currently shares the No. 2 doubles ranking with countrywoman Caroline Garcia. Gasquet, a men’s doubles bronze medalist in the London Olympics, made the Hopman Cup final in 2012 alongside Marion Bartoli, falling Czech Republic’s Tomáš Berdych and Petra Kvitová.

Mladenovic recently split with her coach, Georges Goven.

Group B

Australia:
In a Hopman Cup first, Australia fielded two teams for the 2016 competition — Australia Gold, consisting of Jarmila Wolfe and an almost-retired Lleyton Hewitt, and Australia Green, which showcased up-and-comers Nick Kyrgios and Daria ‘Dasha’ Gavrilova. The latter won the tournament, and are back to be Australia’s (only) representatives in 2017.

As anyone who pays any attention to Nick Kyrgios knows, anything is possible when he takes the court.

United States:
The United States have more Hopman Cup titles than any other team, with six. This January, unintentional doubles stars Jack Sock and Coco Vandeweghe will try to add to that total. Sock, who has two doubles Grand Slams and two doubles Olympic medals, has been taking a big step back from doubles in order to focus on singles. Vandeweghe, a twice-over Grand Slam mixed finalist herself, seems to be playing doubles only on her coach’s orders.

Of course, they’re both pretty dangerous on the singles court as well.

Czech Republic:
Before the deeply disturbing events of December 20, two-time Wimbledon singles winner Petra Kvitová was set to be the female half of the Czech Republic team. But with Kvitová now out, Czech No. 9 Lucie Hradecká will  be stepping up to take her place. While no one could ever fill the void left by the four-time winner of the WTA’s Sportsmanship Award, Hradecká — with three doubles Slams, two Olympic medals and five Fed Cups — should be a perfectly suitable replacement.

She may even have to carry the team, as her partner — No. 75 Adam Pavlásek — has played only six tour-level matches. Pavlásek did, however, beat then-No. 20 Fabio Fognini in the Hopman Cup’s 2015 tournament (though he also lost to John Isner and Vasek Pospisil that same week).

Spain:
With four Davis Cup titles, Feliciano Lopez is no stranger to international competition. And Spain’s other delegate, Lara Arruabarrena, won two titles in both singles and doubles in 2016. So who knows? Maybe Spain’s fifth and third best players can shock the world.

Schedule of play

The Hopman Cup may not be what it was in its heyday, but it still attracts many of tennis’s top players and most passionate fans. And if nothing else, it sure is fun to watch.