Roger Federer will return from knee rehabilitation at the 2017 Hopman Cup in Perth, as it was announced he’ll team up with Belinda Bencic to kickstart the new tennis season. The Swiss team will take on pairings from France, Germany, Great Britain, Czech Republic, Spain and the USA, as well as the defending champions Nick Kyrgios and Daria Gavrilova, who lifted Australia’s second Hopman Cup title.
Federer to feature for the first time since 2002
Federer will feature in the Hopman Cup for the first time since 2002, aiming to secure a second title in Perth. The 35 year-old will hope to repeat his success 14 years ago with Belinda Bencic taking the role of verteran Martina Hingis. Bencic is set to not only make her debut partnering Federer, but also playing in the famous event, after a rapid rise to near the top of the women’s game in the past few seasons. Both Swiss stars will be hoping to shake off their respective injuries which have affected their 2016 seasons in different ways.
The highly-fancied Swiss are joined in Group A alongside France, Germany and Great Britain, with all but one of their group rivals having experienced the event previously. Richard Gasquet will be hoping to go one better than his final defeat with Marion Bartoli in 2012, as he teams up with doubles specialist Kristina Mladenovic for France. Germany are represented by 19 year-old Alexander Zverev and Andrea Petkovic, with both players making their second appearances in Perth. Heather Watson will take part in her third consecutive Hopman Cup, teaming up next to debutant Dan Evans, as Great Britain complete the Group A line-up.
Kyrgios and Gavrilova to attempt title defence
Defending champions Nick Kyrgios and Daria Gavrilova have signed up to try and repeat their 2016 success, when the Australian team paired up to see-off Ukraine in a one-sided final. The impressive pair could become the first team to ever retain their Hopman Cup crown, with no other pairing able to win back-to-back titles in the event’s 28 year history.
The Australian champions will battle in Group B with Czech Republic, USA, and the debutant Spanish pairing of Feliciano Lopez and Lara Arruabarrena. Coco Vandeweghe will also be making her debut alongside Jack Sock, with Petra Kvitova teaming up with Adam Pavlasek. Kvitova won the 2012 edition with Tomas Berdych.
How the Hopman Cup works
Each team will play each other once in their respective groups, with each tie consisting of one men's and women’s singles rubbers, and always ending in a mixed doubles match.
All rubbers will be the best of 3 sets, with the top pairing from each group meeting to battle it out for the Hopman Cup title.
The 29th edition will take place between the 1st-7th January at the beginning of 2017.
