Sydney to host ATP Cup as part of bumper Australian Open warm-up schedule

Governing body Tennis Australia (TA) also confirmed Melbourne would host Australian Open qualifying from January 10-14 after 2021 qualifying was played abroad due to COVID-19.

Sydney will host the $10 million ATP Cup from January1-9 as part of a bumper schedule of warm-up tournaments ahead of the Australian Open. (Representative Image)

Sydney will host the $10 million ATP Cup from January1-9 as part of a bumper schedule of warm-up tournaments ahead of the Australian Open, organisers said on Thursday.

Governing body Tennis Australia (TA) also confirmed Melbourne would host Australian Open qualifying from January 10-14 after 2021 qualifying was played abroad due to COVID-19.

TA boss Craig Tiley said a record 17 tournaments would be staged in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia states in the lead up to the January 17-30 Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year.

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"It’s incredibly important to have the world’s best players competing across the country, inspiring the next generation of players, and growing interest and excitement in our sport,” Tiley said in a statement.

After the ATP Cup, Australia's largest city will host the one-off "Sydney Tennis Classic", featuring a WTA 500 event and an ATP 250 tournament.

Adelaide will host four men's and women's tournaments back-to-back from January 2-15 while Melbourne Park, the Australian Open venue, will stage another three tournaments from January 3-9.

Russia cruised to victory in February in the last truncated edition of the ATP Cup, which was played in front of small, capped crowds at Melbourne Park due to COVID-19 restrictions.