British No. 1 Emma Raducanu has arrived in Perth to prepare for the 2026 United Cup, while World No. 2 Iga Świątek has touched down in Australia to join her Polish teammates. Both players are preparing for the first tournament of the 2026 season, a mixed team tennis event that commences next week and marks the beginning of the WTA and ATP tours.
Emma Raducanu and Iga Świątek Arrive in Australia for the 2026 United Cup
Raducanu has completed her offseason preparations in Barcelona under the guidance of coach Francisco Roig, who joined her camp in August 2025 and previously worked alongside Rafael Nadal throughout his 22 Grand Slam victories. The British player’s decision to train in Spain reflects a more structured approach to her career development following a period of instability in her coaching arrangements.
Now in Perth, Raducanu is adapting to the Australian hard courts, where she will compete in the opening week of the United Cup. The 23-year-old former US Open champion is making her debut at the tournament, seeking to capitalize on valuable ranking points ahead of the Australian Open. Her commitment to Team Great Britain marks a significant milestone in British tennis, as she is the country’s top-ranked WTA player.
First sighting of Emma on court in Perth 🎾
🎥 @UnitedCupTennis 🇦🇺🐨 pic.twitter.com/imkKEagE6u
— Raducanu News 🐨 (@RaducanuNews) December 29, 2025
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Świątek has also arrived in Australia to lead Team Poland’s challenge. The Polish star, ranked World No. 2 following her dominant 2025 season, will anchor her nation’s squad alongside former top-ten player Hubert Hurkacz.
In an interview, she shared her experience after arriving in Australia, saying, “The air is different here. I’m just really looking forward to spending some time outdoors, because for the last month, I’ve been indoors back home.”
Świątek then mentioned the climatic difference in Poland and Australia: “It’s like -5 right now (in Poland) or something like that. So, I’m really happy to enjoy the Sun and the weather. Coming to Australia is always pretty exciting because you also have to see how your tennis will work.”
Iga arriving in Australia
🎥: TNT Sports pic.twitter.com/qzuryEO92a— Reading with 1ga #IstandwithIga 🤍❤️ (@readingwith1ga) December 29, 2025
She also discussed maintaining her focus on the technical aspects of the game while seeking early positive results.
Venue, Dates, and Participants for the 2026 United Cup
The United Cup 2026 takes place from January 2 to January 11 and marks the fourth edition of this distinctive mixed team event. The tournament spans two Australian cities, with Perth’s RAC Arena hosting group-stage matches and quarterfinals from January 2 to January 7, while Sydney’s Ken Rosewall Arena stages its group-phase matches from January 3 to January 7, before transitioning to knockout rounds that culminate in the final on January 11.
18 nations have participated in the competition, divided into six groups of three countries each. Teams advance through round-robin group play, with group winners qualifying directly for the quarterfinals in their respective cities. One additional quarterfinal spot in each city is awarded to the best-performing runner-up team. The quarterfinals occur on January 7 in Perth and January 8 through 9 in Sydney, with semifinals and the final exclusively held in Sydney.
Each match between nations comprises three individual contests: a men’s singles match, a women’s singles match, and a mixed doubles match. Singles matches are contested as best-of-three tiebreak sets, while mixed doubles features two tiebreak sets with a deciding match tiebreak at 10 points if needed. The tournament offers a minimum of USD $11.8 million in combined prize money and participation fees, along with a maximum of 500 ATP and WTA ranking points, making it an essential event for players seeking Australian Open seeding positions. Team Great Britain, featuring Raducanu in Group E alongside Greece and Japan, will compete in Perth, while Team Poland faces Germany and the Netherlands in Sydney’s Group F.
