SYDNEY: The International Tennis Federation (ITF), the governing body of global tennis confirmed Thursday that it has terminated its exclusive licensing agreement with Tennis Australia for the Hopman Cup with immediate effect.
Hopman Cup is a highly successful and long-standing mixed men’s and women’s tournament that has been an annual fixture at the start of the calendar year in the city of Perth in Western Australia. However, with the ATP Cup scheduled to be held from 2020 onwards in the same country most likely before the Australian Open Grand Slam tournament, the 2019 edition was all but the last edition of the Hopman Cup.
The ITF hasn’t given up in searching for a new city to host the event and a tournament partner to collaborate with as it has received expressions of interest seeing the Cup’s success over the past three decades with men and women players, sponsors, broadcasters and tennis fans alike.
ITF President David Haggerty stated: “We would like to thank Tennis Australia and the Western Australian government for their involvement in staging an outstanding event over the past 30 years. The event would also not be what it is today without the longstanding support of Lucy Hopman and Paul McNamee.
“The ITF is committed to upholding the core values of the Hopman Cup in the future and are encouraged by the interest that has already been expressed. We are in discussions with potential partners to decide where and when this tournament will be next hosted. We will keep the Hopman Cup alive and look forward to successful future editions of this unique event.”
