How does Hopman Cup work? Mixed-team tournament set to return with Alcaraz set to continue playing after Wimbledon

The 2023 edition of the Hopman Cup is set to begin on Wednesday. The tournament, which is a part of the ATP and WTA calendars, is exhibitory in nature and offers no ranking points to the participating players.

The competition has been played since 1989 and was named after 16-time Davis Cup winner Harry Hopman.

This year, there will be a celebrity presence in the competition in the form of the current world number one Carlos Alcaraz.

The 20-year-old is coming fresh after winning Wimbledon 2023 after beating Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in a five-set thriller with a score of 1–6, 7–6(8–6), 6–1, 3–6, 6–4 on Sunday.

Normally, the players who end up lifting the title take a longer break to recover but Alcaraz is keen on following a different path and he will be in action in the competition very soon.

He will represent the Spanish team also consisting of Rebeka Masarova. Originally, Paula Badosa was supposed to join Alcaraz but she is still recovering from a back injury she sustained while playing at Wimbledon.

The two-time Grand Slam winner will face his first match on Friday against Belgium’s David Goffin.