The ATP Cup 2021 will officially announce the start of the Australian tennis season. Most of the world's best players will compete in the ATP Cup, which starts a week before the Australian Open.When and Where Will It Be Played?The ATP Cup 2021 will be played entirely in Melbourne Park from February 1-5. The five-day tournament (Monday to Friday) will take place alongside two other ATP 250 events, occupying the fifth week of the ATP calendar.How does the tournament work?The tournament consists of 12 teams, divided into four groups of three for the group stage, and it is a free game for all. The winners from each team advance to the knockout stages, with the remaining four teams competing in the semi-finals.Which teams will compete?Here are the 12 teams competing in the 2021 ATP Cup. Each team consists of four players. Meanwhile, Nick Kyrgios withdrew from this year's ATP Cup and decided to compete in the ATP 250 event instead.Serbia: Novak Djokovic, Dusan Lajovic, Filip Krajinovic, Nikola CacicSpain: Rafael Nadal, Roberto Bautista Agut, Marcel Granollers, Pablo Carreno BustaAustria: Dominic Thiem, Dennis Novak, Philipp Oswald, Tristan-Samuel WeissbornRussia: Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Aslan Karatsev, Evgeny DonskoyGreece: Stefanos Tsitsipas, Michail Pervolarakis, Markos Kalovelonis, Petros TsitsipasGermany: Alexander Zverev, Jan-Lennard Struff, Kevin Krawietz, Andreas MiesArgentina: Diego Schwartzman, Guido Pella, Horacio Zeballos, Maximo GonzalezItaly: Matteo Berrettini, Fabio Fognini, Simone Bolelli, Andrea VavassoriJapan: Kei Nishikori, Yoshihito Nishioka, Ben McLachlan, Toshihide MatsuiFrance: Gael Monfils, Benoit Paire, Nicolas Mahut, Edouard Roger-VasselinCanada: Denis Shapovalov, Milos Raonic, Peter Polansky, Steven DiezAustralia: Alex de Minaur, John Millman, John Peers, Luke SavilleWhat is the format?Each tie consists of two singles matches and one doubling. The country that wins two matches will win a draw. Each country will play two qualifying matches in the group stage. The singles match will be the best of the three sets of tiebreakers, while the doubles match will feature an ad-free scoring and tiebreaker match instead of the third set.How Much Is the Prize Money?The ATP Cup 2021 prize is $ 7.5 million. The total prize money awarded to players consists of three components, including entrance fees, the prize money for individually won matches, and the prize money for relationships.Also read: Australian Open 2021 organizers forced to cancel the quarantine stay plan for international players
