Top 10 players to watch out for at United Cup 2025

Swiatek returns to professional tennis following a controversial drug scandal.

The United Cup 2025 is a mixed-gender international tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts, organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). Participants can earn up to 500 ATP or WTA ranking points. The event will feature an impressive prize money pool of $10,000,000.

Some prominent names from both the WTA and ATP circuits are set to compete in the tournament, though stars like Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannik Sinner will be absent. With the 2025 Australian Open just around the corner, the United Cup serves as an ideal platform for players to find their grove ahead of the Grand Slam.

Let’s have a look at the top 10 players to keep an eye on as the United Cup 2025 action gets underway.

Also Read: United Cup: Full list of title winners

Players to watch out at United Cup 2025:

10. Donna Vekic

Donna Vekic had a remarkable 2024, highlighted by a silver medal at the Paris Olympics and a semifinal appearance at Wimbledon. Her victories over Coco Gauff at the Olympics and Paula Badosa at Wimbledon were standout moments. With an eventful year behind her, Vekic will be eager to start 2025 strong as the United Cup offers the perfect opportunity to fine-tune her form ahead of the Australian Open.

9. Stefanos Tsitsipas

Stefanos Tsitsipas has undergone a downward spiral since the 2023 Australian Open, losing to Novak Djokovic in the final in straight sets. Many expected him to rule the tennis world after the big three, but the Greek has fallen off the charts dramatically and has not been able to keep up with the rise of youngsters like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

However, a new year provides a perfect opportunity for fresh beginnings and Tsitsipas will hope for a much improved show in the 2025 calendar year.

Also Read: Explained: What is the format of United Cup 2025?

8. Hubert Hurkacz

Hubert Hurkacz will lead the Poland men’s squad at the United Cup and hope to be injury-free in the upcoming year. Despite being incredibly gifted, the Polish has been unable to do justice to his talent. The primary reason for this has been long sustaining injuries which Hurkacz has had to contend with, resulting in inconsistency on the court.

While it is no secret that on his day, the Polish could beat anyone, the biggest challenge for him is to stay fit and the United Cup will give him the much-needed game-time.

7. Elena Rybakina

Much like Hurkacz, Elena Rybakina too has had a career riddled with injuries paving the way for inconsistency in her game. Apart from the Wimbledon semi-final appearance she had a year to forget, missing out on the Paris Olympics and withdrawing mid-way from the US Open. The Kazakh lost her spot in the top 5 WTA rankings and would hope to make amends in 2025.

Having said that, she reminded everyone of her brute power and athleticism on the court when she defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the WTA Finals.

6. Alexander Zverev

Alexander Zverev, the highest-ranked ATP player in the competition, will be pivotal to Germany’s title defense at the United Cup. Despite falling short of a Grand Slam victory, Zverev climbed to World No. 2 in 2024. Determined to break his title drought, he will aim to kick off 2025 on a high note with a strong performance at the United Cup.

5. Jasmine Paolini

It was a splendid year for Jasmine Paolini who dominated the women’s arena in both singles and doubles. Despite not ending the year with a Grand Slam major, consecutive Grand Slam finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, along with an Olympic Gold medal in women’s doubles is an incredible achievement and one to savour for the Italian.

Due to her consistent performance across all the tournaments, she reached the top five and is currently seeded fourth.

4. Qinwen Zheng

The Paris Olympics Gold medalist, Qinwen Zheng had a successful 2024 year and now will hope to make her country proud in Australia. She enjoyed success at this venue last year when she finished as the runner-up of the 2024 Australian Open. Beating Iga Swiatek at the Garros was arguably Zheng’s greatest moment in her career and she is now ranked 5 in the WTA rankings.

With China making rapid progress in the sport of tennis, including two gold medals at the Games, Zheng will hope to make history for her nation at the 2025 United Cup.

3. Taylor Fritz

Another player who tasted tremendous success in the 2024 calendar year is Taylor Fritz. The American fell agonizingly short of a maiden Grand Slam trophy at home and then lost to Jannik Sinner in the final again, at the ATP Masters.

Entering the competition as the second highest ranked player and leading a strong USA squad, Fritz will be eager to begin the new year with a title under his belt. The USA squad comprises some of the biggest names in tennis including Coco Gauff, Frances Tiafoe, and Danielle Collins.

2. Iga Swiatek

All eyes will be on Iga Swiatek as she returns amidst the controversy surrounding her positive test for an illegal substance during the Italian Open. The Polish star has had to contend with a fair share of criticism and support from the tennis fraternity and now has the chance to silence her critics by delivering strong performances on the court.

Although Iga Swiatek doesn’t boast the strongest record in Australia, her experience and talent make her a formidable contender. Having lost her long-held World No. 1 ranking to Aryna Sabalenka, the United Cup offers Swiatek a valuable opportunity to close the gap on the Belarusian and reclaim the apex spot.

1. Coco Gauff

Coco Gauff managed to cap off a disappointing year with a phenomenal win at the WTA finals, wherein she defeated Aryna Sabalenka and Qinwen Zheng in the knockouts. She will now hope to continue the same form leading into the new year. The American had a decent French Open but performed underwhelmingly in the rest of the Grand Slam majors as well as the Paris Olympics.

However, Gauff’s ability to shrug off disappointments and bounce back is what sets her apart. She will hope to lead USA, the inaugural United Cup champions to their second title in the competition and find her ‘A’ game ahead of the Australian Open.

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