The ATP and Tennis Australia today officially unveiled the ATP Cup - a new team competition to kickstart the men’s tennis season from 2020. The tournament, which was announced during the Nitto ATP Finals in London, will be played across three Australian cities over ten days in the lead up to the Australian Open and will feature teams from 24 countries.

Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) announced that Brian Parkkonen has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer.  As COO, Parkkonen will oversee organizational development and staff collaboration.  His main priorities will be to ensure the highest quality standards are in place and upheld creating a unified and efficient approach to the overall member experience.

The ITF today announced the launch of the ITF World Tennis Tour in 2019 that will serve as a player pathway between the junior game and elite levels of professional tennis. The launch of the tour is the culmination of a series of ITF reforms designed to support talented junior players in their progression to the senior game, and target the prize money effectively at professional tournaments to enable more players to make a living. The tour will also increase the number of nations hosting ITF tournaments in 2019, providing opportunities for more players.

Croatia’s Marin Cilic and Austria’s Dominic Thiem have clinched the two final spots at the prestigious season-ending Nitto ATP Finals, to be held from 11-18 November at The O2 in London, as a result of Friday’s play at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The USTA announced that the U.S. Fed Cup Team will return to Asheville, N.C., for the second consecutive year, as the U.S. Cellular Center has been selected to host the United States’ Fed Cup by BNP Paribas 2019 First Round tie vs. Australia Feb. 9-10.

PTR CEO Dan Santorum received the National Public Parks Tennis Association (NPPTA) Jean and Hollis Smith Lifetime Achievement Award, which was presented in New York in September. The annual award recognizes an individual who has been an outstanding advocate, and who has promoted the NPPTA across the country.

The USTA Nominating Committee has put forth slate for the 2019-2020 term for the USTA Board of Directors. Patrick Galbraith of the USTA Pacific Northwest Section, the current USTA First Vice President, has been nominated to be the next USTA President. He would replace Katrina Adams, who becomes Immediate Past President.

The USTA has announced that 18-time Grand Slam singles champion Chris Evert and former USTA vice-president Don Tisdel have been honored with the United States Tennis Association’s President’s Award at the USTA Semi-Annual Meeting in New York.  The President’s Award honors individuals who have given unusual and extraordinary service to the sport of tennis in the public’s interest.

Universal Tennis, the Company behind the global tennis rating system UTR Powered by Oracle, has announced a new strategic investment and partnership with TEAM8, a leading sports and entertainment company owned by Roger Federer, Tony Godsick, Ian McKinnon and Dirk Ziff.  TEAM8, the creator and principal owner of the exciting new Laver Cup tennis competition, is joined by additional significant investors participating in this financing including Blue Ridge Capital’s founder John Griffin, and existing shareholders Mark Hurd, CEO of Oracle, and Mark Leschly, Chairman and CEO of Universal Tennis.