Sydney to host finals of new ATP World Team Cup

It will be played in January over 10 days in the lead-up to the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, starting in 2020.

Sydney will host the final of the 24-team event at the Ken Rosewall Arena, which will get a new roof this year, along with some round-robin matches.

Sydney will host the finals of the new ATP World Team Cup, organisers announced Monday, while Brisbane and one other city will feature round-robin games in a revamp of the season-opening tennis calendar.

The Association of Tennis Professionals, which runs the men's game, voted in London earlier this year to award the tournament to Australia.

It will be played in January over 10 days in the lead-up to the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, starting in 2020.

Sydney will host the final of the 24-team event at the Ken Rosewall Arena, which will get a new roof this year, along with some round-robin matches.

Group action will also be played in Brisbane along with another city, reportedly Adelaide.

Perth was thought to be in the running, but the success of this year's mixed teams Hopman Cup, spearheaded by Roger Federer and Serena Williams, has thrown that into doubt.

“The ATP Cup fits perfectly with our strategy to innovate and look towards the future,” said ATP chief Chris Kermode.

“We know from our extensive discussions with the players that the ATP Cup will provide a great way for them to open their season.

“It will bring together the world's best for a major team event that compliments existing scheduling, provides highly-coveted ATP ranking points and clearly links to the Australian Open.”

The event is returning to the global calendar for the first time since taking place in Dusseldorf from 1978 to 2012, and will feature US$15 million in prize money, along with ATP rankings points.

Existing ATP tournaments in Sydney and Brisbane are expected to be axed although Kermode did not spell that out on Monday.