Perth tennis tournament Hopman Cup to be shifted to France and lose New Year slot in shock ITF move

The mixed-gender Hopman Cup team tournament will make a return in 2023 after losing its New Year slot on the tennis calendar, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) has said.

However the tournament, named after Australian great Harry Hopman and held in Perth for three decades, will move to Europe with the next edition played in Nice, France from July 19-23.

The Nice Lawn Tennis Club will host the event up to 2027 as part of a five-year contract between the ITF and Barcelona-based company Tennium, which operate multiple ATP and WTA tournaments.

“The Hopman Cup, as a unique mixed-team event, has always enjoyed a special place in the hearts of tennis fans, and I am sure that spectators in Nice will relish the chance to see some of the world’s top men and women players on the same court,” ITF President David Haggerty said on Tuesday.

As in previous editions, teams will have one male and one female player, with ties featuring a men’s singles match, a women’s singles and a mixed doubles.

The ITF said six nations will compete in the 2023 and 2024 editions, with the competition expanding to eight teams from 2025 onwards. France will take part each year as hosts.

In the last edition of the tournament, which began in 1989, Roger Federer led Switzerland to the title against Germany in 2019.

The short-lived ATP Cup men’s team competition had taken the Hopman Cup’s pre-Australian Open warm-up slot.

A new mixed-sex $US15 million ($A22m) tournament - the United Cup - featuring teams from 18 nations playing matches across three Australian cities will kick off the 2023 tennis season.

The inaugural United Cup will start on December 29 and run through to the final in Sydney on January. 8.