For the first time since former world No.1 Ash Barty’s retirement more than three years ago, Australia once again has players ranked inside the top 32 on both the ATP and WTA tours heading into the United Cup.
The equally popular Alex de Minaur has been a model of consistency since first breaking into Grand Slam seeding territory in 2018, but as the Australian team gears up for its most exciting United Cup campaign yet, fans will get their first real look at the nation’s next big thing: 19-year-old Maya Joint.
In just two years, Joint has soared from world No.730 to No.32.
In her first full season on the WTA tour, the US-born Aussie claimed singles titles in Eastbourne and Rabat, alongside five semifinal appearances throughout the year, establishing herself as Australia’s new No.1 woman.
With a 52-28 win-loss record, nobody has been more surprised by Joint’s meteoric rise than herself.
"It's been crazy, I didn't expect all this to happen so quickly," she told reporters after reaching the semifinals of the Hong Kong Open.
"It was always a goal of mine to be one of the top players in the world, but it's still hard to imagine that I am where I am. I'm really excited about it all; I really hope I'm going to be seeded for the Australian Open next year, but it's been unbelievable."
United Cup 2026 marks Joint’s latest step in representing Australia in team competitions, and comes at a time when Australia has managed just one women’s singles victory since the event’s inception in 2023.
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Relatively untested wearing the green and gold as a team figurehead, Joint will benefit from an energetic home crowd and has no better ally than Alex de Minaur on the bench as she battles it out against the sport’s best women.
Sporting a ‘109’ tattoo above his heart to represent his position as the 109th Davis Cup player selected for Australia, De Minaur’s best tennis often comes when he is playing for his country, and he revels in his role as the nation’s best Grand Slam hope.
During a season in which the Aussie racked up his 300th career ATP win, a 10th singles title and the most hard-court victories on tour, De Minaur also became the first Australian to qualify for back-to-back ATP Finals since Lleyton Hewitt two decades ago.
His United Cup record is exceptional. The Aussie is 7-1 in singles, boasting famous victories over Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev since the event began three years ago.
“The United Cup is going to be a lot of fun,” De Minaur said. “The event is unique and it offers up something completely different for fans. They love to embrace the format and get behind the Aussies at home.
“The energy at the United Cup is electric. It’s fun being on court but also on the bench, being loud and noisy, supporting each other.”
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In a format that rewards chemistry as much as talent, one of the competition’s greatest appeals is seeing singles stars unite in doubles.
Australia’s doubles depth has often allowed its premier singles specialist to conserve energy across the week, but De Minaur's win with Olivia Gadecki in 2025 proves he’s more than capable in the tandem format.
And there will be plenty of interest should he team up with Joint, whose doubles resume is quietly impressive.
Currently ranked world No.54, Joint claimed the WTA 125 doubles title with fellow Aussie Taylah Preston at the Cancun Open in February. She then won a WTA 250 title with Georgian veteran Oksana Kalashnikova in Rabat, and reached finals with multiple partners in Eastbourne and Seoul.
She shows promising signs of becoming Australia’s most promising threat in both disciplines since none other than Barty.
With a top-10 force in the prime of his career, and a teenager rocketing up the rankings, might this be the year Australia produces its best United Cup result on home soil?
