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Nick Kyrgios of Australia looks on during his Men’s Singles fourth round match against Rafael Nadal of Spain on day eight of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)
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Nick Kyrgios of Australia looks on during his Men’s Singles fourth round match against Rafael Nadal of Spain on day eight of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)
Having last played almost a year ago at the Mexican Open, Nick Kyrgios was expected to kick off his 2021 season at the ATP Cup. However, as per the official line up, Kyrgios’ name was missing from the Australian ATP Cup team.
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FILE PHOTO: Tennis – Australian Open – Fourth Round – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – Australia’s Nick Kyrgios reacts during his match against Spain’s Rafael Nadal. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo
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Nick Kyrgios skips 2021 ATP Cup
Instead, Kyrgios will compete at one of the ATP 250 events which will take place alongside the ATP Cup. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, all warm-up tournaments will feature a week before the Australian Open which begins on February 8.
ATP Cup line up confirmed.
Khachanov, Kyrgios missing, they will play one of the ATP 250s. pic.twitter.com/KJxku6WnXr
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) January 4, 2021
The World No.23 Alex De Minaur will lead Australia’s ATP Cup team which made the semifinals last year. He will be joined by John Millman, John Peers, and Luke Saville while Kyrgios’s absence will cause an enormous blow to their morale.
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Kyrgios led Australia to the semifinals of the inaugural ATP Cup last year, but lost to Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut at the penultimate stage. Subsequently, the 25-year-old reached the fourth round of the 2020 Australian Open, though he lost to the 20-time Grand Slam champion, Rafael Nadal.
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On the other hand, Novak Djokovic will spearhead the Serbian ATP Cup team while Nadal will be at the forefront of Spain’s title aspirations. Last year, Djokovic defeated Nadal in a thrilling final of the ATP Cup to help Serbia lift the title.
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Nick Kyrgios of Australia (R) shakes hands with Rafael Nadal of Spain at the net following their Men’s Singles fourth round match on day eight of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Jonathan DiMaggio/Getty Images)
The reigning US Open champion, Dominic Thiem, will lead the Austrian ATP Cup team and the 2020 ATP Nitto Finals winner, Daniil Medvedev, will be the backbone of the Russian team alongside Andrey Rublev.
The men’s team tennis tournament comprises 12 teams, which will be divided into four groups of three for the group stage. Each team will play two singles matches and a doubles match, and eventually, the four group winners will advance to the semi-finals.
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