A star-studded line-up of ATP and WTA Stars will be participating at the 2015 edition of the Hopman Cup which will take place in Perth in January.
World number one Serena Williams joins Andy Murray, Eugenie Bouchard, Casey Dellacqua and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the upcoming event. As of this date, nine of the world’s top 20 players in both ATP and WTA tours have committed to play for this event.
Williams, winner of 18 Grand Slam singles titles, will attempt to become the first player to win this event three-times. She will partner with 22-year old Jack Sock in representing United States.
“I’m really looking forward to heading back to Perth and the Hopman Cup. It’s been such a long time since I’ve been there. I’ve had a great time there and it’s always been a great warm-up for me,” said Williams. The American won the event in 2003 (with James Black) and 2008 (with Mardy Fish).
“I love being part of a team because in tennis it’s all about you but at the Hopman Cup there’s an opportunity to be a team, play for your country and try and take everything home”
Defending champion France will be represented by Alize Cornet and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and they’re the tournament’s top seeds. They will attempt to be come the first pair to win the title for the second straight year.
“I have a really good welcome from everyone at this event. The win last year with Alize was great,” Tsonga said.
“I have great memories from Hopman Cup. Amazing memories, the victory at the end, the crowd was amazing,” Alize Cornet said.
“The arena is great. The ambience was amazing. I think that’s the memory I keep the most in mind. We had fans from all over the world supporting every team.
“The gold racquet [trophy] that I won last year at Hopman Cup is in my room where everybody can see it. For me it is so precious. It reminds me of the great time I had in Perth,” Cornet added.
Other participating countries are Poland (represented by Agnieszka Radwanska and Jerzy Janowicz), Italy (represented by Flavia Pennetta and Fabio Fognini), Czech Republic (represented by Radek Stepanek and Lucie Safarova).
“We’ll have nine of the current top 20 players including three current top 10 players and world No.1 Serena Williams in Perth in January,” said Paul Kilderry, Tournament Director.
“Serena has just won her sixth US Open title and is one of the most successful players in the history of the game. We are thrilled to welcome her to Perth.
“We also look forward to welcoming back defending champions Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Alize Cornet, along with Eugenie Bouchard, Radwanska, Pennetta and Stepanek.
“They’ll be joined by former Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, Heather Watson and of course Nick Kyrgios and Casey Dellacqua representing Australia
“We are very excited to introduce the new $10 children’s ticket for all sessions for 2015 and encourage families and kids to dress up in their favourite country’s colours and support a team at the Hopman Cup, it will be a lot of fun,” Kilderry said.
ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti shared his thoughts for the upcoming event.
“The 2015 edition of the Hopman Cup promises to be one of the most exciting in history. The field is outstanding, led by Serena Williams of the United States, Andy Murray of Great Britain and the defending champions, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Alize Cornet of France,” Ricci Bitti said.
“Once again the fans in Perth will kick off the season watching great teams compete for the coveted Hopman Cup title.”
The Hopman Cup is a mixed teams’ competition sanctioned by ITF and will take place from January 4 to 10 at the Perth Arena.
