The 2019 #HopmanCup is filled with strong teams and the clashes, which are pre-set for the Round Robin stage, are already making tennis fans impatient for the new season to begin play. Being the first tournament to kickstart the new season, Perth will host many top players like Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Garbine Muguruza, et cetera.
Group B will see defending champions Switzerland go up against Greece, the United States and Great Britain.
Great Britain
#GreatBritain will feature with two youngsters being chosen to represent them. This will be their fourth appearance in five years at Perth but they will be looking for the first win in two years having gone winless this year. #CameronNorrie and #KatieBoulter, ranked 91st and 99th respectively, are one of the underdogs in the tournament due to their inexperience and lack of exposure onto the main tour.
Norrie recently made his top-100 debut this year and set a new career-high ranking of 66 in August. He was hailed as a Davis Cup hero and made three ATP semifinals to emerge as one of Britain’s next biggest stars. This is his debut at the Hopman Cup and he will get to face legend Roger Federer.
His partner Boulter will also be making her debut in Perth. Starting the year outside the world’s top-200, the Brit excelled on grass and made full use of the opportunities she was handed. She made two WTA quarterfinals and entered the top-100 for the first time in her career; proving that she belongs to that elite batch of players. She will have the chance to play legend Serena Williams and top player Belinda Bencic.
Greece
#Greece will make their historic first appearance in the Hopman Cup, having lost in the qualifying play-offs all the way back in 2002. They will be represented by two of the biggest rising stars on both tours, #MariaSakkari and #StefanosTsitsipas. It was considered a dream pairing for most tennis fans as they were hailed as the leading figures of Greek tennis in this current age.
Stefanos Tsitsipas enjoyed a career breakthrough in 2018 when he defeated four consecutive top-10 players to reach the final at the Rogers Cup, adding onto his finalist appearance at the Barcelona Open as well. Starting the year ranked 91st, Tsitsipas’ rapid improvement saw him lifting his maiden ATP title in Stockholm before ending the year with a title at the NextGen ATP Finals being ranked 15th in the world. Arguably, the most anticipated clash of the tournament would be his match against Roger Federer.
Sakkari has also experienced a successful season of her own; breaking into the world’s top-30 after reaching her first WTA final in San Jose. She also claimed her maiden top-10 victory and reached three semifinals throughout the year. The Greek will compete against Serena Williams for the first time in her career this time around.
United States
#UnitedStates will make their 30th consecutive appearance at the Hopman Cup, the only nation other than Australia to have competed on the most occasions. They will be led by the legendary 23-time Major champion #SerenaWilliams, who will partner young rising star #FrancesTiafoe. Williams owns a formidable 18-4 win-loss record in this tournament while Tiafoe will make his debut.
Tiafoe reached new heights in his career; reaching the top-50 after achieving some stellar results. He claimed the title at Delray Beach as a local wildcard before reaching another final in Estoril. Various strong performances allowed him to become one of the well-known rising stars, which allowed him to compete at the NextGen ATP Finals as well.
Tennis superstar Serena Williams returns to Perth, where she will make her first appearance since 2016 when she had to withdraw due to a knee inflamation. She made two Major finals after her return from pregnancy and returned into the world’s top-20 despite playing just six tournaments. Returning to Australia for the first time since her triumph at the Australian Open in 2017, Serena looks to get her new season off to the perfect start.
Switzerland
Defending champions #Switzerland is back to defend their title, but they will face some tough challenges from teams such as Germany. This is the third consecutive in which both #BelindaBencic and #RogerFederer have opted to compete together as a pair, with many fans calling them the perfect team. They own a staggering 6-1 win-loss record together and their clashes against Greece and the United States are highly-anticipated this year.
Federer experienced another successful season, though it was definitely not up to his expectations. The Swiss maestro stayed in the top-three for the entire calendar year and won titles in Melbourne, Rotterdam, Stuttgart and Basel. Reaching 10 semifinals throughout 2018, Federer will inevitably be disappointed with several of his losses, particularly against the younger players he used to consistently beat without any hassle. Nonetheless, Federer will look to regain his groove and start off 2019 on a high note in Perth.
Bencic’s success at the Hopman Cup this year was the highlight of her 2018 as she failed to replicate her good form at any other tournaments. The Swiss youngster was able to break back into the world’s top-40 but was not consistent (and healthy) enough to play her top-notch tennis every week. Reaching one WTA final and hoisting a ITF title, Bencic enters the new year with new expectations and hopes with Perth giving her a chance to earn her second win over the legend, Serena Williams.
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