Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper will team up to represent Great Britain at the 2026 United Cup, a mixed team event that kicks off the tennis season in Australia in January.
The event was set to mark the British No. 1’s return to tour events after injury forced an early end to his 2025 campaign. Both players will make their debut in this tournament.
The fourth edition of the competition, which will be held in Perth and Sydney from January 2 to 11, will feature 18 countries, each with a team of up to six athletes (three men and three women). Teams will initially be divided into six groups, with three groups hosted in each host city, with the group winner and two runners-up advancing to the quarterfinals.
Each tie will consist of one men’s singles match, one women’s singles match (each involving the highest ranked player), and one mixed doubles match. That means Raducanu and Draper could play together in the latter, depending on who represents England.
The United Cup is sanctioned by both the ATP and WTA tours and awards world ranking points in singles. The tournament is directly linked to the Australian Open, with the qualifying round starting on January 12 and the main draw starting on January 18.
“It’s an honor to be able to make my United Cup debut in January,” said Radukanu, who withdrew from the remainder of this year’s tournament due to illness earlier this month.
“Being able to play for Team GB alongside my team-mates is a special opportunity and a week to enjoy. It’s great to experience a new format on tour, represent my country and spend a few more weeks in Australia.”
Draper, whose season ended with an arm injury after withdrawing from the second round of the US Open last September, added: “It’s great to be back on the court and competing in the United Cup. We’ll be watching the draw to see whether Team GB will play in Perth or Sydney.
“I’ve never been there either, so it would be nice to compete in a new city in Australia.”
Tournament director Stephen Farrow said: “Seeing British number one Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu line up for the first time will bring new star power to the tournament.”
Draper was scheduled to compete this year, but withdrew due to injury. For Great Britain, Katie Boulter, Billy Harris, Olivia Nicholls and Charles Broom topped their group but lost to Poland in the quarter-finals.
Who else has registered so far?
As part of the organizers’ announcement on Wednesday, Alex de Minaur and Maya Joint were confirmed as the host Australia line-up.
Poland’s Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz were the first duo to confirm their participation earlier this month. They lost to Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz of the United States in this year’s final.
The full list of participating countries and players will be released ahead of the official draw on 17 November.
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