Why the United Cup 2023 should not be considered an exhibition event

The 2023 United Cup, a new collaborative venture between the ATP and WTA tours, began on Thursday (December 29) in three Australian cities.

Teams from 18 countries are competing in the inaugural stages of the tournament in Brisbane, Perth, and Sydney until January 4. The three city champions and the next-best performing country from the group stage will then meet in Sydney from January 6 to 8 to determine the overall winner at the Ken Rosewall Arena.

The tournament contains some ranking points that other exhibition tournaments do not usually offer.

The United Cup offers a total of 500 ranking points on the ATP and WTA tours. The points will be given on the basis of wins and the opponent's ranking.

For example, if a player defeats a top-ten-ranked opponent in the group stages, that player will receive 55 points and, defeating an opponent ranked 11-20 will result in 45 points. Similarly, a win against a player ranked outside the top 250 will only bring in 15 points.

The City Finals stage follows, with players earning 80 points for defeating a top-ten opponent and 65 points for defeating a player ranked 11-20. To break it down further, victories over opponents ranked 21-30, 31-50, 51-100, 101-250, and above 251 will earn them 55, 40, 35, 25, and 20 points, respectively.

The semifinals obviously have more points since they will offer 130 and 105 points in victories over players ranked in the top 10 and players ranked between 11 and 20, respectively. For players ranked above 20, the additional points will be 90, 60, 40, 35, and 25.

Last but not least, winning the United Cup's summit clash will earn players 180 points if they beat a player in the top 10 and 35 points if they beat someone ranked lower than 250. Hence, considering all the things mentioned, this tournament cannot really be considered an exhibition tournament.

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Are Russia and Belarus competing in the United Cup 2023?

2023 United Cup - Perth: Day 1.

Unfortunately, Russian and Belarussian players will not be competing in the 2023 United Cup. Organizers are following a March decision by the ATP, WTA, ITF, and Grand Slams that barred them from competing under their flag or in team tournaments owing to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"If you're doing a national team competition when players obviously are playing for that flag and for that national pride, all we're doing is taking the same position that the whole of the sport has taken," tournament director Stephen Farrow stated.