Emma Raducanu and Cameron Norrie to play mixed doubles together at Eisenhower Cup at Indian Wells
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Published 17/02/2023 at 12:52 GMT
Aryna Sabalenka and Taylor Fritz, Cameron Norrie and Emma Raducanu, and Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz will play mixed doubles at the Eisenhower Cup at Indian Wells in March. The charity event will feature eight teams and they will play 10-point tie-break matches. Fritz and Swiatek are the defending singles champions at Indian Wells, which is an ATP/WTA 1000 event.
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Some of the world’s top tennis players will be teaming up at the Eisenhower Cup - a mixed doubles charity event - ahead of Indian Wells.
The doubles teams includes Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka and last year’s Indian Wells champion Taylor Fritz, British women’s No. 1 Emma Raducanu and British men’s No. 1 Cameron Norrie, and women’s world No. 1 Iga Swiatek and fellow Pole Hubert Hurkacz.
But what is the Eisenhower Cup, what’s the format, and who else is playing?
What is the Eisenhower Cup?
The Eisenhower Cup is a charity event held before the main draw at Indian Wells starts.
It was first played in 2019 as an eight-man competition and was won by Milos Raonic.
It was not played in 2020 as Indian Wells was not held due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but in 2022 was played with eight of the top women’s players, and was won by Amanda Anisimova.
The format consists of first to 10-point tie-break matches and is a single elimination draw with a $200,000 (£167,654) prize for the winner.
This year it will be contested as a mixed doubles event and will likely feature plenty of laughs. In 2022 Ons Jabeur slid into the role of courtside photographer and commentator, and got a massage from Sabalenka. There was also a skills challenge and players joked with each other while keeping warm on stationary bikes next to the court.
All proceeds raised during the event will go to local charitable organisations.
When is the Eisenhower Cup?
The Eisenhower Cup will be played on Tuesday, March 7 at Indian Wells.
The main draw of the tournament, which is the first ATP Masters 1000 of the season and first WTA 1000 mandatory event, runs from March 8-19.
“We are thrilled that the Eisenhower Cup will return for a fourth time to serve as a meaningful charitable event to ring in two weeks of exciting action in Tennis Paradise,” said Indian Wells tournament director Tommy Haas.
“Tennis fans will be treated to the brightest stars of both tours pairing up for a fun and unique mixed doubles event, and we extend our sincerest thank you to all players for their participation in supporting this great cause.”
Who’s playing the Eisenhower Cup?
The move to mixed doubles gives the Eisenhower Cup an exciting twist.
Rarely do the best men’s and women’s players get the chance to team up on court, but they will do so for one night at Indian Wells.
The confirmed teams so far are:
- Aryna Sabalenka and Taylor Fritz
- Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz
- Emma Raducanu and Cameron Norrie
- Leylah Fernandez and Felix Auger-Aliassime
- Ons Jabeur and Casper Ruud
- Jessica Pegula and Tommy Paul
- Maria Sakkari and Stefanos Tsitsipas
One more team will be added before the event starts.
When does Indian Wells start?
Indian Wells is arguably the most prestigious event on the tennis calendar outside of the four Grand Slams.
The main-draw action starts on March 8.
While defending champion Swiatek will lead the women’s field, there is still uncertainty over who will be the top men’s seed.
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Iga Swiatek is the defending women's Indian Wells champion
Image credit: Getty Images
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is currently unable to enter the United States due to travel restrictions as he is unvaccinated. Rafael Nadal may also miss out as he recovers from injury.
In Djokovic’s absence, world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz would currently be the top seed, although the rankings may change before the tournament starts.
What's after Indian Wells on schedule?
Indian Wells is followed by another ATP/WTA 1000, the Miami Open, which starts on March 21.
Then it’s onto the European clay season in April.
The first big clay event on the ATP Tour is the Monte-Carlo Masters which starts on April 10, while the first WTA 1000 on clay is in Madrid on April 25.
The French Open gets under way on May 28.
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