ATP Cup Players to Watch: Group B

With two members of the top 10 involved in singles, as well as Grand Slam and Tour Finals champions in doubles, Group B play at the ATP Cup promises to be a battle. Here’s a look at the potential difference-makers on the Spanish, Greek and Australian teams. (All photos: Getty Images)

SPAIN: Rafael Nadal

Spain, last year’s runner-up, is arguably the deepest team in the tournament this year, with Roberto Bautista Agut and Pablo Carreno Busta having spent time in the top 10 in singles, and Marcel Granollers one of the best in the world in doubles. Still, the nation’s hopes lie heavily with world No. 2 Nadal, who went, 4-2, at the ATP Cup last year, dropping matches to David Goffin and Novak Djokovic.

For all of his success around the world, Nadal has only claimed one career title in Australia, that being his victory in Melbourne more than a decade ago. Given that his schedule was relatively light last year, he could be in dominant form with fresh legs at the start of the new tennis season.

GREECE: Stefanos Tsitsipas

On the opposite end of the pool from Spain as far as depth goes is Greece, with Petros Tsitsipas, Michail Pervolarakis and Markos Kalovelonis nowhere near the world’s top 300. All three of them are at fairly early stages of their respective careers, so there’s room to learn more about competing against the game’s elite. They also have an example on hand that they can learn from.

Stefanos Tsitsipas finished 2020 in the top 10 for the second year in a row, but was predicted by many to be the one to experience a Grand Slam breakthrough considering his rise in the past few seasons. The young Greek got off to a slow start in Australia last year, which included a 1-2 showing at the ATP Cup, but still had a solid campaign overall. Tsitsipas, far from the first player to bear most of the responsibility for his team in international competition, will have to perform flawlessly in singles—and perhaps doubles—for Greece to advance.

AUSTRALIA: John Millman

The host nation has been a prominent force for several years now, and the future is definitely bright with 21-year-old Alex De Minaur leading the way. At the ATP Cup this year, it could be his decade-older teammate that plays a crucial role in Australia’s fate.

Millman started 2020 with a 6-2 record, which included two wins at the ATP Cup and an epic loss to Roger Federer at the Australian Open, then finished the season with his first career singles title. He’s been on an upward climb the past few seasons, and has shown he can thrive in pressure-packed situations. Luke Saville and John Peers make for a solid, yet somewhat unfamiliar, doubles combination and De Minaur faces a tough road ahead against two members of the world’s top 10. Millman can set the tone with opening victories from the No. 2 spot.