ONE of the most unique tennis tournaments which features both ATP Tour and WTA Tour players is the Hopman Cup. Given the world’s circumstance and the fact it was already skipped on the eve of last year, it looks to be either delayed later in 2021, or perhaps at the turn of the New Year in 2022. However, in this new series we wanted to look at some hypothetical Hopman Cup teams and what they might look like if there was no COVID-19 pandemic, and if the famed mixed tournament did go ahead.

We continue the series with France and Spain, who have played 24 and 17 Hopman Cups, coming in at third and fourth respectively.

France: Ugo Humbert & Fiona Ferro

This French combination would be a dream to watch, even if it was not the most stacked it could be. From the men’s perspective, Ugo Humbert is a huge star of the future, and is starting to piece together all of his ability after a big 2020 season. With a big serve and impressive shots across the court, he is France’s next big thing, and soon will be their top ranked player. Gael Monfils would be just as good of a choice in terms of excitement, with the flamboyant top ranked star unfortunately having injury issues this year and is 34-years-old. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is in a similar boat, while Benoit Paire and Adrian Mannarino are other acceptable choices. Humbert would be the pick though for his upside.

The women’s pick would not be as straight forward, but it would be fantastic to see Fiona Ferro put her hand up for the event. The French have won the title twice, and they featured Alize Cornet and Kristina Mladenovic, both of whom could be picked again. The French have no shortage of female talent in the top 100, but Ferro just has that exciting upside about her that would make her a good choice, and provide her with a good lead-up event to the Australian Open. Would this combination win the Hopman Cup? Probably not, but it would be exciting for fans.

Spain: Rafael Nadal & Garbine Muguruza

Going from a team that would probably not win the Hopman Cup to one that would be a high chance of winning the Hopman Cup, Spain always has a ridiculous amount of choices at its disposal. Surprisingly, the Spanish have only won the Hopman Cup four times – in 1990, 2002, 2010 and 2013 – with Fernando Verdasco and Annabel Medina Garrigues lifting the title last. In 2019, Garbine Muguruza competed at the event, and she would be the choice for this hypothetical one. She has the Grand Slam winning experience, is strong on hard courts and it would provide her with great experience in the lead-up to the Australian Open where she has fared so well. The Spanish women often return, with Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (seven years) and Medina Garrigues (four), playing 11 of the 17 Hopman Cups.

From the men’s side, it would not happen, but imagine if Rafael Nadal stepped up to the plate to compete in the Hopman Cup? The world number two would be a huge coup for the event, and with the 2019 competitor David Ferrer retiring, the Spanish would need a new entrant. Tommy Robredo did it for four years, and it would be feasible to see Pablo Carreno Busta putting up his hand for the event, or more likely a younger player like Jaume Munar, but Nadal would be the top pick. It would have advantages for the top ranked Spaniard, with the King of Clay able to get valuable minutes on his weakest surface of indoor hard court, in a setting that is not as competitive as other major events.

Picture: Tony McDonough