ATP Melbourne Summer Set 2022 Tournament Preview

January 3, 2022

Andy Murray, ATP Tennis Players, Nick Kyrgios, Rafa Nadal, Tennis News, Tennis Tournaments

ATP Melbourne Summer Set 2022 Tournament Preview

While many of the top men’s pros are playing the ATP Cup to begin their 2022 season, top calibre talent including Rafael Nadal are kicking off their new season in Melbourne instead.

The Melbourne Summer Set is a series of tournaments that also includes two WTA 250 events played alongside the men’s tournament at the same venue.

Dates

The Melbourne Summer Set main draw will be held from 4-9th January. Viewers can tune in to matches and replays on Tennis TV and Amazon Prime, depending on location.

Players

The draw consists of 28 players with the top four seeds receiving a bye to the second round.

20-time Slam champion and world number six Nadal is the top seed as he makes his return to the tour after cutting his 2021 season short in August. Reilly Opelka, Grigor Dimitrov and David Goffin round out the top four seeds.

Former world number one Andy Murray gets his 2022 season underway in Melbourne too, receiving a wildcard into the event. Home talent Nick Kyrgios likewise receives a wildcard into the event, his first ATP tour level tennis since the US Open at the end of August.

Draw

Melbourne Summer Set ATP Draw

Match-ups

Should Kyrgios win his first match, he would face a tough opponent in Goffin come the second round. Kyrgios leads that match-up 3-1, the pair having not played each other since 2017.

If Kyrgios were to win and progress further to the semi-finals he would face familiar rival Nadal. The duo have had their fair share of tense encounters over the years, including three times at Slam level and three times at Masters 1000 level. Nadal does lead the head-to-head 5-3, with the Aussie last defeating him in Acapulco in 2019.

Murray will need to defeat Facundo Bagnis in the first round to set up a battle with former world number three Dimitrov. Murray leads Dimitrov 8-3 over their careers, the Brit’s injury woes meaning they last played each other all the way back in 2016.

Where is the Event held?

The Melbourne Summer Set is held at Melbourne Park, the grounds for the Australian Open, on outdoor hard courts.

Ranking Points Breakdown

The tournament is an ATP 250 event, with ranking points awarded as follows:

Champion – 250 points

Runner-up – 150 points

Semi-finals – 90 points

Quarter-finals – 45 points

Round of 16 – 20 points

Round of 32 – 10 points

Players with a first round bye and who exit in the second round receive first round points (10)

Prize Money Breakdown