ATP Cup 2020: Australia loom as the dark horses in a highly competitive Group F
The Australian team, led by the likes of Alex de Minaur and Nick Kyrgios, will be the dark horses in the group of death at the 2020 ATP Cup, matches for which will be played out in Brisbane.
Group F will witness stalwarts including Alexander Zverev of Germany, Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece and Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger Aliassime of Canada compete against each other to help their teams secure the top spot.
With such big names taking center-stage, every match can be expected to be a nail-biting affair. And in such a case, an odd win here or there will make the difference when it comes to the final standings.
That is where the teams with a second top singles option might have an edge. As things stand, Australia, Germany and Canada fit that bill perfectly.
With seasoned campaigners in Kyrgios and Jan-Lennard Struff to rely on, Australia and Germany respectively look like two of the stronger sides.
Canada has options too, but the relatively young average age of the contingent means lower levels of exposure and higher vulnerability in big situations. To be fair that has not been a deterrent for them previously, but one would expect experience to account for something in such a high-stakes environment.
As for Greece, Tsitsipas stands as the lone hope for getting them match wins. A tough fight can be expected going into the match-ups between Germany and Australia, and it will most likely be a race to the finish line between the two.
How well the big names, especially the talented but vulnerable trio of Zverev, Kyrgios and Shapovalov, perform for their respective sides will be decisive in sealing the fate of the group members.
Prediction: Australia and Germany to take up the direct and indirect qualification spots.