Main Photo Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Cup Exhibition Brings Professional Tennis Back to Atlanta

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports | By Steen Kirby | Last updated Nov 13, 2025 10:25 AM ET

Metro Atlanta is home to a multitude of recreational tennis players and top high school and college programs. With the end of the ATP Atlanta tournament in 2024, top professional tennis players haven’t returned to the city in a year and a half. This December, the Atlanta Cup brings elite tennis back to Atlanta.

Sabalenka, Kyrgios, Osaka, and Shelton in Atlanta

Four players are slated to take part in the December 6th night of exhibition tennis at Gas South Arena in suburban Gwinnett County, Georgia. The Atlanta Cup features the entertaining Nick Kyrgios who is also slated to play more exhibitions this winter.

Atlanta native Ben Shelton, the second-best American man on the ATP tour right now, and two top WTA players. World #1 and prize money leader Aryna Sabalenka, and Naomi Osaka, who showed improvements in her game in 2025 but wants more titles in 2026.

The expectation is that Shelton will take on Kyrgios, while Sabalenka battles Osaka. Osaka won their only h2h meeting in 2018.

Exhibitions Continue To Attract Fan Interest

In 2020, the Atlanta Tennis Challenge, Rafael Nadal vs Grigor Dimitrov was played at this same venue. Tennis exhibitions continue to be popular with fans as an evening or day of entertainment, and exhibitions played indoors are also climate controlled, guaranteeing the scheduled match(es) will take place.

From Saudi Arabia’s Six Kings Slam, the MGM tournament in Las Vegas, to more historic events like the Kooyong Classic and Boodles Challenge, there has always been a place for these events on the calendar. Sabalenka played Osaka at the MGM tournament earlier this year.

The exhibitions offer guaranteed payouts for top players, and matches that fans want to see, while players get the opportunity to fine tune their games and train, something they would be doing in the off-season even if they weren’t getting paid for it.

This December, Miami will also host an exhibition, just two days after the one in Atlanta.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: