Marathon men set for Hopman Cup re-match

 

Originally published on: 14/12/10 11:01

Marathon men Nicolas Mahut and John Isner will do battle for the first time since their record-breaking Wimbledon encounter at the Hopman Cup.

Injury to Gael Monfils sees Mahut partner Kristina Mladenovic in the mixed team event. The French pair have been drawn in the same group as Great Britain, Italy and most notably the US, with Isner and Mahut due to face-off on January 3.

It will be the first time the pair have met since their historic meeting in the first round of Wimbledon this summer, which Isner eventually won 6-4 3-6 6-7(7) 7-6(3) 70-68 in a world record 11-hours-five-minute match played over three days.

Tournament director Paul McNamee is delighted at the prospect of the record-breaking pair competing against each other at the Burswood Dome in Perth.

“That Wimbledon match was an epic in every sense of the word, so it will long be remembered,” said McNamee. “I’m now looking forward to watching these guys battle it out in Perth.”

Monfils, whose exit made the blockbuster tie possible, will be out for at least four weeks with a knee injury.

“I was looking forward to participating in the Hopman Cup for the first time,” said the world No.12. “I sincerely hope that I will have the opportunity to play there in the near future.”

Meanwhile, Andy Murray returns to play alongside Laura Robson for Great Britain after their successful run to the final last year, while arguably the strongest team sees former world No.1 Ana Ivanovic join forces with Novak Djokovic.

HOPMAN CUP, PERTH
January 1-8 2011
GROUP A:
SERBIA – Ana Ivanovic & Novak Djokovic
BELGIUM – Justine Henin & Ruben Bemelmans
AUSTRALIA – Alicia Molik & Lleyton Hewitt
KAZAKHSTAN – Yaroslava Shvedova & Andrey Golubev
GROUP B:
GREAT BRITAIN – Laura Robson & Andy Murray
ITALY – Francesca Schiavone & Potito Starace
FRANCE – Kristina Mladenovic & Nicolas Mahut
USA – Bethanie Mattek-Sands & John Isner

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