(Reuters) – The 2024 United Cup will feature fewer matches than the inaugural edition of the team tournament and will take place in only two host cities, organisers said on Friday.
This year’s tournament, which was won by the United States, was held in Perth, Sydney and Brisbane and saw teams playing two men’s and two women’s singles matches as well as a mixed doubles match.
In January, Spain’s Rafa Nadal urged organisers to tweak the format to ensure there were fewer dead rubbers, and the next edition is set to have ties featuring just one men’s and one women’s match, followed by a mixed doubles match.
The singles matches will feature the top-ranked players from each country and each tie will be determined in one session.
Brisbane will no longer be staging matches, leaving Sydney and Perth as the hosts. As in the inaugural event, 18 countries will be split into six groups of three.
“We saw this year how passionate and intense the crowds were in supporting the United Cup – it was tennis at its very best,” United Cup tournament director Stephen Farrow said.
The competition will run from Dec. 29-Jan. 7.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
