THE RETIREMENTS of tennis greats Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Serena Williams have made promoting events more difficult, but organizers must grab the opportunity to push new talent into the spotlight, the United Cup鈥檚 tournament director said.

The $10-million mixed team event aims to do just that when it kicks off the new season Friday, with tournament chief Stephen Farrow confident the sport is in good hands.

鈥淚t鈥檚 true to say that from a promotional standpoint, it鈥檚 very easy if you鈥檝e got Roger Federer or Rafa Nadal turning up,鈥 Farrow told Reuters after the draw for the 18-team tournament was held in Sydney recently.

鈥淵ou鈥檙e talking about people who are absolute superstars of the sports arena… with those guys moving on, it does make it a bit more difficult to promote and tell the story of the athletes playing the event.

鈥淚 always see that as a positive, because it鈥檚 on all of us in tennis to tell the story of this new talent.

鈥淲e鈥檝e got a lot of them playing the United Cup. They鈥檙e incredibly exciting and captivating to watch. I鈥檓 not worried about the future.鈥

Grand Slam contenders Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Iga Swiatek and Coco Guff will all be in action for their countries at the Dec. 27-Jan. 5 tournament staged in Perth and Sydney as they prepare for the Australian Open starting on Jan. 12.

Farrow also said the United Cup was still building its brand and boosting awareness with fans and players.

鈥淟ast year we saw a really big step forward when we moved to a new format with one women鈥檚 singles, one men鈥檚 singles and one mixed doubles. It was incredibly competitive.

鈥淣ow we鈥檝e established ourselves on the tennis calendar two weeks from the Australian Open. We鈥檝e seen with the field this year that players want to play this event.鈥

Spain takes on Kazakhstan while China meets Brazil on the opening day in Perth. 鈥 Reuters

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR