Sydney, Dec 27 (IANS): Alex de Minaur and Ajla Tomljanovic are among the stars leading Team Australia at the inaugural United Cup, however, before play begins at the Ken Rosewall Arena this week, the host nation took the opportunity to swap the practice courts for the city when they visited Campbells Cove, here on Tuesday.

De Minaur, Tomljanovic, Jason Kubler and Zoe Hives posed for photos by the Sydney Harbour Bridge ahead of the 11-day event.

"We thrive playing for our country, representing the green and gold. There is always a lot of passion and pride and it is a great time of the year. We are in the Aussie summer, ready to start 2023. There is no better place to be," de Minaur was quoted as saying by ATP.

"Aussies thrive in team competitions. You see with the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup, we made finals and I don't think many people would have picked us to be in the last two standing," Tomljanovic said.

"When I played for Australia for the first time, the camaraderie and the vibe of the team over that week was great. We see each other a lot during the year but don't get to talk much. But when we come together it is like we have never left, so it is something in the culture," she added.

The United Cup, a mixed-teams event consisting of 18 nations, will be contested in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney, with four countries advancing to the knockout stage in Sydney. Each United Cup tie will comprise two men's and two women's singles matches and one mixed doubles match to be played across two days, with the tournament running from 29 December-8 January.

Team Australia, spearheaded by Nick Kyrgios, will start its title quest against Team Great Britain on Thursday. Team Spain, led by Rafael Nadal and Paula Badosa, are also in Group D.

"It is exciting. It is a new event in tennis. Innovating in this great sport and I think it will bring a new audience. We have a tough group, but we are happy being the underdogs. We just have to give it our all, that's all we can ask for ourselves," de Minaur said.