LOS ANGELES, Jan. 28, 2021 – Tennis Channel’s complete, live coverage of the second annual ATP Cup will feature 15 of the top 20 singles players in men’s tennis, led by No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 2 Rafael Nadal – two of the greatest of all time. The network’s five-day telecast of the tournament of nations begins on the first day of play, Monday, Feb. 1, at 5:30 p.m. ET.
On air, Tennis Channel will show 20 live hours of ATP Cup action this year, with another 20 hours of same-day encores. Coverage begins each day at 5:30 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. ET (complete schedule below). On television, the ATP Cup will be part of the network’s “Center Court,” half-day-long windows of live competition from five events in Australia. All 2021 ATP Cup matches will be live and on-demand on streaming-service Tennis Channel Plus, available to everyone in the United States regardless of whether or not they subscribe to Tennis Channel’s television network.
Held in Melbourne, Australia, the 2021 ATP Cup features 12 countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Russia, Serbia and Spain. Split into four groups of three, each nation plays the other two in its pool in the round-robin stage during the first three days. The four group winners meet for the semifinals and championship at the end of the event. Contests feature two singles matches and one doubles match, each worth one point, with two points needed to win.
Nine of the world’s top 10 stars – and 15 of the top 20 – are set to compete in this year’s event. In addition to Djokovic and Nadal, the list includes: Dominic Thiem (No. 3), Danil Medvedev (No. 4), Stefanos Tsitsipas (No. 6), Alexander Zverev (No. 7), Andrey Rublev (No. 8), Diego Schwartzman (No. 9), Matteo Berrettini (No. 10), Gael Monfils (No. 11), Denis Shapovalov (No. 12), Roberto Bautista Agut (No. 13), Milos Raonic (No. 15), Pablo Carreno Busta (No. 16) and
Fabio Fognini (No. 17). In the first ATP Cup in January 2020, Djokovic’s Serbia defeated Nadal’s Spain 2-1 in the championship match.
Tennis Channel’s on-air team for the ATP Cup will include former players James Blake (@JRBlake), Chanda Rubin (@Chanda\Rubin), Leif Shiras (@ShirasLeif) and Prakash Amritraj (PrakashAmritraj). They will be alongside announcers Ted Robinson (@tedjrobinson), Steve Weissman (@Steve\Weissman) and Noah Eagle (@NoahEagle15).
Live 2021 ATP Cup Coverage on Tennis Channel*
Date Time (ET) Event
Monday, Feb. 1 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m. Round Robin
Tuesday, Feb. 2 5:30 p.m.-7 a.m. Round Robin
Wednesday, Feb. 3 5:30 p.m.-7 a.m. Round Robin
Thursday, Feb. 4 6:30 p.m.-7 a.m. Semifinals
Friday, Feb. 5 6:30 p.m.-7 a.m. Final
*”Center Court” live coverage windows of five tournaments, including the ATP Cup. All ATP Cup matches can be streamed live and on-demand onTennis Channel Plus. Updated Tennis Channel andTennis Channel Plus schedules can be found on Tennis.com.
Tennis Channel(www.tennischannel.com), which is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, is the only 24-hour, television-based multimedia destination dedicated to both the professional sport and tennis lifestyle. A hybrid of comprehensive sports, health, fitness, pop culture, entertainment, lifestyle and travel programming, the network is home to every aspect of the wide-ranging, worldwide tennis community. It also has the most concentrated single-sport coverage in television, with telecast rights at the US Open, Wimbledon, Roland Garros (French Open), Australian Open, ATP World Tour events, WTA competitions, Fed Cup, Laver Cup and the ATP Cup. Tennis Channel is carried by all of the top 10 video providers.
About Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.
Sinclair is a diversified media company and leading provider of local sports and news. The Company owns and/or operates 21 regional sports network brands; owns, operates and/or provides services to 188 television stations in 88 markets; is a leading local news provider in the country; owns multiple national networks; and has TV stations affiliated with all the major broadcast networks. Sinclair’s content is delivered via multiple platforms, including over-the-air, multi-channel video program distributors, and digital platforms. The Company regularly uses its website as a key source of Company information which can be accessed at www.sbgi.net.
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For further information:
Eric Abner, Tennis Channel, 310-314-9445, eabner@tennischannel.com