The United Cup shows that tennis is just fine as a sport of individuals whose appeal crosses borders

So far the United Cup is doing what it set out to do. Over its first five days, tennis’ first official, tour-sanctioned, dual-gender team event has filled stadiums in three cities. It has brought us marquee names playing—and, in the case of Rafael Nadal, narrowly losing—dramatic matches. It has given us an early look at who might break out of the gates quickly in 2023 and who won’t. Cam Norrie and Petra Kvitova are among those in the former category; Alexander Zverev appears to be in the latter.

As its name suggests, the United Cup is presenting tennis in a newly comprehensive fashion. The men and women watch together, root together, laugh together, play mixed doubles together, and make fun of each other on Instagram. My favorite early moment had nothing to do with actual tennis; it was seeing Madison Keys crack up at something Frances Tiafoe said during a changeover. I’m a sucker for camaraderie, and I like seeing today’s young ATP players embrace the idea of sharing a stage and a job with their WTA counterparts, in an event that matters for everyone’s rankings.

So why does the United Cup, like the all-male ATP Cup it replaced, make me wish I was watching these players compete in one of the old-fashioned knockout tournaments that used to kick off the season Down Under?

Over the last half-decade, tennis has tried hard to inject a team dynamic into the sport. Laver Cup, ATP Cup and now the United Cup have been added to the schedule, while attempts have been made to modernize Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup. Among those projects, Laver Cup has been the one undeniable success, but the United Cup may point the way toward closer cooperation between the tours in the future, which would be a good thing.

For now, though, tennis remains a sport of individuals; that’s where the emotion and the fan loyalty lies. The seats have been full for Team Australia’s matches in Sydney, but there has been even more buzz in the arena when Nadal, a Spaniard, has taken the court. Most fans, I’m guessing, are more interested in seeing how players like Taylor Fritz and Caroline Garcia do this week, and how they look going into the Australian Open, than they are in the fates of their respective United Cup teams. Unlike in a knockout tournament, which has a draw that we can easily follow, there’s little sense of how a sprawling team competition like this will progress, who will play who in the coming rounds, and what it might mean for the rest of the year.

This isn’t to say the United Cup is a mistake; it’s not. It’s an entertaining curtain raiser before the regular business of the season begins. Even better, it’s one that closes some of the counterproductive distance that has always existed between the tours. But for me, United Cup also shows that tennis is just fine as a solo sport, and that one of its strengths is that it has nothing to do with nationalities.

Nadal’s appeal, as the sell-out crowds in Sydney prove, crosses all boundaries. Swiatek, as the big crowds in Brisbane show, is well on her way to being must-see tennis TV. Fritz, De Minaur, Garcia, Norrie and others have given us a glimpse of engaging storylines to come in 2023. But they’ve done those things as athletes who, in their professional lives, belong to the borderless and uniquely dual-gender nation of tennis, not any one country. I’ve liked seeing the players compete with, and hang out with, their teammates over the last five days. I look forward to seeing them play for themselves again soon.