Belgium’s return to the United Cup in 2026 will serve as yet another reminder of the country’s depth of talent.
A small European nation of less than 12 million people, Belgium has long thrived on the international tennis stage, the birthplace of legendary No.1s and Grand Slam champions Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters plus former top-10 star David Goffin.
Elise Mertens later emerged from Clijsters’ academy and rose as high as world No.12 – as well as becoming a world No.1 and winning five majors in women’s doubles – and she will lead Team Belgium in its first United Cup appearance since the inaugural event in 2023.
Henin and Clijsters may have retired, and Goffin is in the latter stages of his career at age 35, yet Belgium continues producing world-leading talent.
Another example is Zizou Bergs, who will join Mertens when Belgium competes at Sydney’s Ken Rosewall Arena against Canada and China in Group B.
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Bergs last competed at the Davis Cup Final 8 event in Bologna, helping Belgium into the semifinals where he ultimately lost an epic against Italy’s Flavio Cobolli – a match many believe to be one of the best contests of 2025.
“I'm pretty sure I cannot fight in a normal tournament that I'm doing what I'm playing for my country,” said Bergs, after going down 17-15 in a deciding set tiebreak.
Despite that heartbreak, it was another notable moment in a career-best season for the 26-year-old. Bergs began 2025 ranked world No.71 but cracked the top 40 by October, after a quarterfinal showing at the Shanghai Masters.
Bergs reached two ATP singles finals, in remarkable parallel to Mertens; as he was progressing to the final in Auckland, she was making her way into the WTA final in Hobart the same week. And when he reached the ‘s-Hertogenbosch final, she won the title at the concurrent women’s event.
That trophy was one of two WTA titles for Mertens in 2025, who like Bergs began the year much lower in the rankings than she finished. She also won the singles title in Singapore and eventually returned to the top 20 after opening the season at world No.34.
Yet even with Mertens’ prowess in both singles and doubles, and Bergs’ ascent as a singles force, Team Belgium captain Christopher Heyman has options when it comes to determining mixed doubles combinations.
There’s Greet Minnen, a top-50 doubles player as recently as 2024 who also peaked at world No.59 in singles. There’s Sander Gille, an ATP doubles star who rose as high as world No.18 in late 2023. And there’s also the experienced Lara Salden and Kimmer Coppejans, the latter a Grand Slam junior champion who went on to crack the ATP singles top 100.
It’s a depth in the ranks reflecting the nation’s proud tennis legacy. Could it translate to United Cup glory?
Given Belgium’s history of team success – their 2025 Davis Cup semifinal run followed finals appearances in 2015 and 2017, which came after a Billie Jean King Cup title in 2001 and another final in 2006 – and the talent of the players making that possible, another strong showing in January 2026 would feel apt.
