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Zhang Zhizhen's path back from a shoulder injury & completely changing his forehand

  • Posted: Jan 03, 2026

A Chinese history maker is back at the United Cup.

The first Chinese man to crack the Top 100 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Zhang Zhizhen, is again representing his country on the global stage at the United Cup. But this edition is different for the 29-year-old righty.

Zhang is No. 410 in the world after an injury-mired 2025 season during which he struggled with a shoulder injury, which dates back to when he was 15.

“I do believe sometimes during the years, a few days, I felt the shoulder was painful, but I thought the problem was gone,” Zhang told ATPTour.com. “It seemed like that last year, I felt maybe in two weeks the problem will be gone. But it was still there and we did an MRI with an injection to see the problem.”

The former World No. 31 began feeling pain in the front of his shoulder in February when he competed in Doha and Dubai. It began to subside and then became a bigger issue the following month when he traveled to the United States for the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

The imaging showed that his injury was actually inside the shoulder and closer to the back of it rather than in the front. He would not play a competitive match for more than six months.

The next two months, Zhang did not play tennis at all. Instead, the Chinese standout did fitness every day, played on his computer and spent time with family.

“But most of the time I was running,” Zhang said with a smile.

“In those moments sometimes I was missing a bit to play tennis. I knew when the tennis would start it would get a little bit easier. To do the fitness part, the exercises, only one session of the fitness part was really tough. So I wish I had some tennis, but I could not in that moment.”

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The only time Zhang left Shanghai during the period was in late April to attend the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid. The bulk of his time was spent staying in shape, improving his conditioning and biding his time.

Zhang began playing tennis lightly in July and did not feel too comfortable on the court when he began.

“But at least I was moving all the time on the tennis court, so I didn’t really forget about the court size,” Zhang said. “It was still okay. But to play rallies was a little bit different.”

What he was able to do was change his game. Zhang believes that his forehand swing path was what caused his injury, so the time away allowed him to totally alter his swing.

“This forehand, I wanted to change already. It was even a better moment to change completely,” Zhang said. “Without this shoulder injury, I think we wouldn’t change that and make such a big difference. We would do smaller changes to help, but now we changed everything.

“Preparation, using the power, how to transfer the power and a little bit the motion of the swing, which is everything. To be more natural and more like everyone.”

Zhang, who returned for three tournaments in China in September, will try to show the progress he has made at the United Cup. China takes on Belgium Saturday in Sydney.

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Zverev & Lys hope to make a splash for Germany at United Cup

  • Posted: Jan 02, 2026

Team Germany made a literal splash Friday in Sydney before they hope to make a figurative one at the United Cup.

The team that won the title in 2024 took a quick break before the competition to visit the famous Wylie’s Baths near Coogee Beach. The Germans — Alexander Zverev, Eva Lys, Laura Siegemund, Kevin Krawietz, Patrick Zahraj and Mina Hodzic — enjoyed their time at the tidal swimming pool, especially the team bonding. 

“I’m a big fan of team events, so I’m really happy Team Germany is all together here,” Lys said. “I feel like we don’t have many times [when] ATP and also WTA can stick together, so I’m excited.”

<img alt=”Team Germany visits Wylie’s Baths Friday before the start of Sydney action in the United Cup.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2026/01/02/12/15/germany-united-cup-2026-beach.jpg?w=100%25″ />

Zverev and Siegemund helped lead Germany to glory two years ago, defeating Poland 2-1 in an unforgettable final. Zverev and Siegemund clinched that tie in a deciding mixed doubles. That year, Angelique Kerber played singles, while this edition Lys is taking the mantle.

“Slightly different team than two years ago when we won it. But Laura is here, I’m here. We had good success in the mixed always in the past,” Zverev said. “We have a great female player in Eva this time, so it’s nice to have this big of support and hopefully we can go on and have the same success as two years ago.”

 
 
 
 
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Team Germany begins its pursuit of a second United Cup trophy on Sunday during the day session in Group F against the Netherlands. Lys is scheduled to face Suzan Lamens before Zverev takes on Tallon Griekspoor.

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Recharged Tsitsipas, Sakkari power Greece past Japan in Perth

  • Posted: Jan 02, 2026

After a challenging 2025 season, Stefanos Tsitsipas launched his 2026 campaign on a positive note on Friday at the United Cup in Perth, where he guided Greece to a confident opening victory over Japan.

Following Maria Sakkari’s commanding straight-sets win over Naomi Osaka to give Greece the early advantage, Tsitsipas sealed the tie with an assertive 6-3, 6-4 victory over Shintaro Mochizuki inside RAC Arena.

Tsitsipas and Sakkari then pressed home the advantage with a high-energy 6-2, 6-3 mixed doubles win over Yasutaka Uchiyama and Nao Hibino to secure the second 3-0 result on Day 1, following Argentina’s shutout of Spain.

Playing his first match since last September after a back injury layoff, former World No. 3 Tsitsipas recovered from an early break to take control and deliver a composed performance for the 2023 semi-finalists.

“It’s been a rough few months for me,” Tsitsipas said. “I was in a lot of uncertainty and I was not sure if I could really compete, so to see myself at that level again and showing some really good tennis is something I’m grateful for. Let’s keep it going.”

After his second round upset by Matteo Gigante at Roland Garros last year, Tsitsipas dropped outside the Top 20 of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time since August 2018. The former Nitto ATP Finals champion struggled with a back injury and also worked with Goran Ivanisevic for two months before rehiring his father Apostolos.

But in his first match of the season, Tsitsipas looked refreshed and purposeful, striking the ball with conviction in his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with the 22-year-old Mochizuki, the World No. 99.

Tsitsipas, once a Top 10 staple, currently occupies the World No. 36 spot and he has targeted a return to a major final in 2026, having previously reached that stage at Roland Garros in 2021 and the Australian Open in 2023.

Earlier, Sakkari shook off any lingering disappointment from last year’s round-robin exit and powered Greece to a fast start, earning a marquee straight-sets win over four-time Grand Slam champion and world No. 16 Osaka.

Facing Osaka for the first time in nearly five years, the former world No. 3 jumpstarted Greece’s opening tie against Japan with a 6-4, 6-2 victory in 1 hour and 38 minutes at RAC Arena, fueled by quick starts in both sets.

Sakkari struck first in the opener, racing out to a 2-0 lead with a hold and an early break in Osaka’s opening service game. Osaka broke back immediately, but Sakkari reclaimed the advantage and closed out the set, painting the line with a backhand winner to set up a third set point, which she would promptly convert.

“You’re always very hesitant when you come in that first match because sometimes you can trick yourself that you had a good preseason, and then you have high expectations to come out and do everything,” Sakkari said to reporters after the match.

“I really forced myself not to think like that. I think that that was the key. Just went out there, tried to do the things that I worked on and, you know, we keep building and we can keep trying to improve.”

Sakkari struck first in the opener, racing out to a 2-0 lead with a hold and an early break in Osaka’s opening service game. Osaka broke back immediately, but Sakkari reclaimed the advantage and closed out the set, painting the line with a backhand winner to set up a third set point, which she would promptly convert.

“[There were] a lot of backhand winners, but a lot of backhand errors as well,” Sakkari said. “I have to allow myself to miss in order for me to make a lot of winners. It was all about who was going to take the back hand line, let’s be honest. It was all about who was going to get that good cross-court ball in order to get down the line.”

The second set opened with the two trading holds before Sakkari erased two break points for a 2-1 lead. She then managed to break Osaka again to move in front 3-1, and she maintained control from there, sealing her third win in six meetings with Osaka to even their head-to-head and, more importantly, give Greece a 1-0 lead in its tie against Japan.

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Fritz's focus: How knee rehab took centre stage in offseason

  • Posted: Jan 02, 2026

Some ATP Tour stars will have used the offseason to work on technical aspects of their game, but Taylor Fritz had only a focus on physical recovery ahead of his 2026 season.

“I couldn’t really [target] anything,” Fritz told ATPTour.com in Perth when asked what he had been working on before beginning his season competing for Team USA at the United Cup. “I said at the end of the [Nitto ATP Finals], my goal was really just to try and rehab my knee. I still have pretty serious tendonitis, and that’s something that takes a really long time to get rid of.”

While the injury has been lingering, the No. 6 in the PIF ATP Rankings does not feel it is serious enough to warrant a complete break from competing on Tour.

“The demands of playing make it a lot harder to get rid of it, but at the same time I don’t really want to go full stop for four months to try to get it better when I feel like I can sometimes play through it,” said Fritz. “Sometimes it gets too bad to play through, but that was really the focus of the six weeks, just doing a lot of rehab and strengthening, and trying to lay out a base where I can maybe start to get it better.

“Maybe a couple of months into the season, I can be over it. That was really the main focus. Just hitting to keep my timing, keep my game, keep my feel, but not overdo it on my knee.”

While Fritz struggled with his body at times during 2025, he still delivered another rock-solid season as a Top 10 player in the PIF ATP Rankings. The American racked up a 53-23 record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, a tally which included title runs in Eastbourne and Stuttgart, and he also qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the third time.

“I think when I was healthy and playing, my level was really high,” reflected Fritz. “It’s easy for me to look at it and be like, ‘Well I finished No. 4 the year before and finished No. 6 last year’, but I spent probably two months of the season injured. I missed the clay-court season, came back from the injury and wasn’t really playing well. So I feel like I didn’t really get to play healthy, outside of Australia, until the end of the clay season.

“So it felt like my season kind of started on grass. Even after that, towards the end of the year, I had some issues as well I was dealing with. So I think just the level that I was producing when I was feeling good and healthy, it got me to where I finished the year. I think that is the main focus moving forward.”

Fritz has increasingly gained a reputation as one of the Tour’s most astute on-court thinkers, and he has often given open answers about tactics in press conferences. He revealed that, while he devises his game plans for each match in collaboration with his coach Michael Russell and the rest of his team, he also enjoys taking the lead when it comes to talking strategy.

“I would say the stuff that Mike brings to me is more the tendencies of my opponents,” said Fritz. “I could do a better job, I guess, of watching full matches of the people I am playing, but he’ll go through and pick out certain parts and show me what he wants me to look at. I trust him a lot on things like an opponent’s tennis and what they are most likely to do in a big moment. I think that’s a really important thing.

“Then as far as structuring points and playing, it’s more I say what I think and hear their opinions. That’s kind of how it’s always been for me. I like to talk and break things down, and if any of my team disagrees with what I’m saying, I want to hear and want to know why they think that. And maybe why we don’t see it the same way. I feel like a lot of the times, when I give a breakdown of how I should structure a point, stuff like that, why I’m doing the things I’m doing, I feel like they do agree with me.”

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Fritz, who will spearhead Team USA’s bid for a third United Cup crown alongside WTA Tour star Coco Gauff, was also clear-minded when asked about the storylines he would be keeping an eye on during the 2026 ATP Tour season.

“I think the biggest storyline is obviously the Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry, and if there’s going to be anyone who can step up and challenge that,” said the 10-time tour-level titlist. “I think that is the obvious one. Also seeing how a lot of guys progress. Seeing if any of the really young guys take a step all the way up to competing with Carlos and Sinner.

“I think that might be a little bit of a stretch so soon. I could be wrong, but regardless of that, I think there’s a lot of guys that could get there. Maybe not this year, but definitely take some big strides towards it. The guys I’m excited to see keep improving. The two that come to my mind are Joao [Fonseca] and Learner [Tien].”

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Fritz, Gauff chase dynasty status at United Cup

  • Posted: Jan 02, 2026

Is this the year that Team USA’s United Cup dominance turns into a dynasty?

Armed with Top 10 stars Taylor Fritz and Coco Gauff, and thriving in a format that rewards depth as much as star power, the Americans seem eager to capture their third title in four years. Their campaign begins in Perth, where Group A presents the early tests of Spain and Argentina.

“I think it plays to the strengths of our country,” said Fritz, who begins the year at No. 6 in the PIF ATP Rankings. “I think we have such amazing women’s players. Coco’s first year was just last year, and obviously we won it beforehand, as well.

“The first year we had it with the top two men and top two women, I think that favours our country even more in that kind of format.

“It’s great to just feel like we have such a strong team all throughout. For me personally, I’ve always felt like I play a lot better in the team competitions.”

Fritz delivered the defining moment of last year’s final, edging Hubert Hurkacz in a dramatic third-set tie-break to seal the title. It’s a moment that he remembers fondly and will hope to replicate in 2026.

“It was a really cool moment to clinch that, with the occasion as well, in a third-set tie-breaker, and for the United Cup,” Fritz reflected. I think winning in the team events is always more fun, because you have the whole team to kind of celebrate with afterwards.”

Gauff was equally instrumental last year, producing a spotless singles campaign in which she did not drop a set across five wins. The nature of mixed-teams events is one of the major reasons that the 21-year-old is back for the second time.

“Coming off preseason and being able to start the year in a team environment, it’s like the perfect mix of pressure and having fun,” said Gauff. “Last year I remember being super nervous, because I didn’t want to let anyone down, but I was able to come out of that and do pretty well. I’m hoping to be able to do the same.”

Italy looms as another Perth powerhouse, boasting depth and confidence after closing last season with Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup triumphs.

Reflecting on his Davis Cup heroics — including when he saved seven match points against Zizou Bergs — Flavio Cobolli said that he was eager to bring another cup home to Italy.

“Winning the Davis Cup was a dream,” Cobolli said. “It’s a great thing for all the country, for the foundation. We are happy to represent Italy every day.

“[After the victory] I’m more confident in my tennis, for sure. But the season is different. Now is the time to be focussed and start well because last year I didn’t. We’ve prepared for the season very, very hard, and we are training a lot. We are ready to start.”

Cobolli’s partner, Wimbledon and Roland Garros finalist Jasmine Paolini, starts the year at No. 8 in the PIF WTA Rankings and is looking for more United Cup success after winning two of her three matches last year.

“It’s another year, another year of experience,” Paolini said. “Hopefully I can bring those experiences to this year and try to keep the level to improve things in my game. That’s the goal.”

Reflecting on appointing countrywoman and United Cup teammate Sara Errani as coach in the off-season, Paolini said, “It was the moment to say officially, to recognise her role in the team. I’m really happy about that. I think she really understands tennis and she really can help our team to perform better.”

Italy’s Group C rivals include France and Switzerland, with the latter led by Belinda Bencic and three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka, who is embarking on his final season as a professional.

“It’s going to be special, but it’s going to be my last year after more than 20 years on Tour,” said Wawrinka. “It’s going to be really special playing all these tournaments that I play so many times for one last time.

“For me, I’m just grateful to be able to play those tournaments again one last time, one more time, to see all the fans around the world. I’m super happy also to discover new cities like here, Perth.”

France, meanwhile, is captained by former World No. 10 Lucas Pouille, a proven leader in team competitions. Pouille famously clinched the decisive fifth rubber in the 2017 Davis Cup final, a moment that underscored France’s pedigree on the international stage.

“We’ve always had a lot of players to compete in this competition,” Pouille said of France. “We were able to win the Davis Cup a couple of times. We are always present in this kind of competition, a team competition, and I really hope that we can make France proud this year at the United Cup.”

Great Britain also features in Perth, where 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu will make her United Cup debut under the captaincy of Tim Henman. She is joined by Billy Harris, returning for a second consecutive year.

“I think it’s a great way to start the year being part of a team environment,” said Raducanu. “It’s a little bit easier to settle into the year, which is so competitive and individual. It’s nice to share this with the team.

“We all get on really well and have been having a great time off the court and on the court. It’s nice to be a part of that, and it’s such a change from what we usually do. I’m just really happy to represent GB and have the opportunity to also play in such a beautiful place and see Perth.”

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Kubler & Inglis: Love in the air for newly engaged couple at United Cup

  • Posted: Jan 02, 2026

Love is in the air at the United Cup.

Jason Kubler and Maddison Inglis, members of Team Australia at the United Cup, got engaged at Rottnest Island last month.

 
 
 
 
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“It was super exciting. I didn’t anticipate the hour leading up. I was so nervous. That was crazy. Felt like we were on a first date again,” Kubler said. “Very happy I did it. Very happy Maddy said yes, which is good.”

The longtime partners spent the past month in Perth, with the highlight being their engagement. It was a moment they will never forget.

“It’s very exciting, especially having that time in Perth. It was our first time to Rotto,” Inglis said. “It was such a special spot to do it. It was really exciting.

“It’s been nice to spend these couple weeks together after, to enjoy it. Yeah, it’s super exciting we get to be on Team Australia. We’re looking forward to it.”

The high point of Team Australia’s press conference was the pair discussing their engagement, with Alex de Minaur egging them on.

But now it is down to business for the home side. Kubler and Inglis are the No. 2 singles players in the event for their country and they will do everything they can to help Australia claim glory at the United Cup for the first time.

It also is a chance for them to remain together — at least for another week.

“Not often we can play the same tournaments. When we can, we try,” Kubler said. “To start the year together playing for Australia as well, supporting these guys, is super special. We’re looking forward to the week.”

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