The ATP Cup is one of the newest and most unusual competitions on the tennis calendar. Launched last year, it's a team tournament that only the countries with the highest ranking men's players can qualify for and - just like in 2020 - though we can no loinger get a pre-Aussie Open showdown between world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the final this weekend, as Rafa pulled out of his opening match injury. Read on, as we've compiled this handy guide for getting a 2021 ATP Cup tennis live stream online wherever you are right now.
Dates: Tuesday, February 2 - Sunday, February 6
Day session start time: 10am AEDT / 11pm GMT / 6pm ET / 3pm PT
Evening session start time: 5.30pm AEDT / 6.30am GMT / 1.30am ET / 10.30pm PT
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne
Free live stream: 9Now (Australia)
Watch anywhere: Try ExpressVPN 100% risk-free
Russia and Italy have already sealed semi-final berths for the weekend, with Spain and Serbia expected to follow. Last year, Novak beat Rafa as Serbia overcame Spain in last year's final, but this year's competition should be much stronger, with starlets Dominic Thiem (Austria), Daniil Medvedev (Russia), Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece) and Alexander Zverev (Germany) looking primed to challenge the ATP circuit's dominant forces.
Teams Spain, Russia, Italy and Canada all feature two players ranked in the top 20 - Russia's secondary player, Andrey Rublev, is the world No. 8 - which makes them all serious contenders.
However, the ATP Cup isn't just about individuals. Last year, 14 ties were decided by doubles matches and Australia, captained by Lleyton Hewitt, have some serious doubles firepower in their corner, in John Peers and Luke Saville, to complement their solid singles lineup.
If you've never watched the ATP Cup before, it's very different to the other tennis tournaments in terms of its format, so scroll down for a full breakdown of how it works. Follow our 2021 ATP Cup live stream guide below to watch all the tennis online this week - including how to watch the ATP Cup on 100% FREE TV in host country Australia, even if you're an Aussie abroad.
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How to live stream 2021 ATP Cup tennis for FREE in Australia
How to get a 2021 ATP Cup live stream from outside your country
For your viewing options in the US, UK, Australia and Canada, we have more details below - just scroll down the page.
But if you try to watch your domestic coverage from somewhere outside your home country, you'll soon find a problem... geo-blocking. That's where the broadcaster prevents you from watching your usual feed from abroad and is a common problem for sports fans all over the world.
Fortunately, there's an easy solution.
Use a VPN to watch ATP Cup tennis online from abroad
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2021 ATP Cup format
The 2021 ATP Cup features 12 teams, split into four groups of three, which were determined by seeding.
Each team will play the other teams in its group once, with each tie a best-of-three comprising two singles matches and one doubles match. The first match will be contested by the teams' No. 2-ranked players, the second will be contested by their top-ranked players, with the doubles match to follow.
Even if the tie has been decided after the two singles matches, the doubles match will be played - unless it's the final.
The winners of each group will play a semi-final knockout tie to determine the final.
2021 ATP Cup groups
Group A
- Serbia
- Germany
- Canada
Group B
- Spain
- Greece
- Australia
Group C
- Austria
- Italy - winners
- France
Group D
- Russia - winners
- Argentina
- Japan
