ITF have just announced the teams for the Hopman Cup and the GB team is going to be Dan Evans and Heather Watson.
http://www.itftennis.com/news/243910.aspx
It looks quite a strong overall entry , presumably Andy, Kyle and Jo have decided they prefer other ways to tune up for Melbourne
I am never sure how seriously the players take this event, it sort of looks like to me what the new proposed Davis and Fed Cup formats look like, a glorified exhibition if we arent careful!
Hev appears to be a staple here, and partnered with Evo, I didn't see that one coming. But having recently developed a taste for Brummie lads, this has the potential to be a great partnership.
In what is no surprise, Australia will no longer host the Hopman Cup. But its not the end as the ITF are looking for a new host city.
The ITF strongly believes in the importance of combined men and women's events in the international tennis calendar and is committed to continuing to stage the Hopman Cup.
The ITF has begun the search for a new tournament partner and received interest from cities around the world, following the Hopman Cup's success over the past three decades with men and women players, sponsors, broadcasters and tennis fans.
"The ITF is committed to upholding the core values of the Hopman Cup in the future and are encouraged by the interest that has already been expressed. We are in discussions with potential partners to decide where and when this tournament will be next hosted. We will keep the Hopman Cup alive and look forward to successful future editions of this unique event." Read more at https://www.itftennis.com/news/303139.aspx#BHTZozvBWPbUiBiD.99
Yeah it would be interesting to see where it ends up? I guess one aspect is time of the year, if they move it, is there room for a warm up event with the ATP Cup coming in? Maybe on the womens side there is but I cant see how it could fit in that same date slot for the men.
And then there is location, which clearly needs to link in with any date they set for it going forwards...
The mixed events at the Olympics seem to have been competitive and really enjoyable to watch and seemingly really fun for the participants .
So lets hope tennis takes notice.
I didn't expect to enjoy the Olympics after all the faffing around but was really enthused by the new and different sports and formats.
As an a absolute 5 setter die hard fan I'm beginning to have my doubts that it could or should continue.