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This year's 31st edition of the tournament,
unique in that it is the only top-level mixed team event, saw
Roger Federer lead Switzerland to the title in Perth against
Germany in what fans and players feared would be a golden
swansong.
Next year's inaugural ATP Cup, a new men's team competition
based in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, and offering $20 million in
prize money together with ranking points, has taken the Hopman
Cup's popular pre-Australian Open warm-up slot, but Haggerty
insists it will return.
"Absolutely," the American, re-elected last month for a second
four-year term as ITF president, told Reuters in a phone
interview when asked if one of the organisation's flagship
events still had a future.
"Our plan is to re-introduce it for 2021. We don't have plans
for the Hopman Cup in 2020 but we are going out to the market
for expressions of interest and we have already had quite a few
enquiries."
Haggerty said there was flexibility about where and at what time
of year the Hopman Cup would re-surface and did not rule out it
continuing in Australia.
Last year's edition of the event, named in honour of Australian
great Harry Hopman and started in 1989, was a vintage one with
the highlight being a first-ever match featuring Federer and
Serena Williams on opposite sides of the net.
"It could really be anywhere in the world and any time in the
calendar," American Haggerty, who has overseen a revamp of the
men's Davis Cup and women's Fed Cup, said.
"The reason to do the expressions of interest is really to get
the feedback from the nations and cities that have an interest
and see what their proposal would be," he added.
"I can confirm we have interest from every continent."
Federer voiced his hope that the Hopman Cup could be revived
after winning last year's title while Williams said it would be
"heartbreaking" if it vanished.
Haggerty said the Hopman Cup format, which features men's and
women's singles and a mixed doubles rubber, was an important
part of the ITF's drive for equality in the sport.
"We know how successful the Hopman Cup was last year with Serena
playing for the United States and Roger representing
Switzerland," Haggerty said.
"When they played the mixed doubles it filled the stadium with
over 15,000 fans. Any tournament would love to have that even
for their singles final.
"We know that when men and women come together it's one of the
great things for our sport."
The Hopman Cup, played in the Perth Arena from 2013-19 having
moved from the Burswood Dome, was the first elite-level tennis
tournament to introduced the Hawkeye Challenge system in 2006.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Ed Osmond)
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