Nadal to play ATP Cup in Perth

Rafael Nadal will head to Western Australia this coming January as part of the first ATP Cup, although the state will miss out on hosting the Australian team, which is set to play its preliminary games in Brisbane.

The announcement came at a live draw this morning, with Geoff Masters and Sam Groth joining Premier Mark McGowan and Tourism Minister Paul Papalia to celebrate the occassion.

With 24 countries appearing in matches hosted across Brisbane, Perth and Sydney, Perth will host one third of the preliminary rounds between January 3 and 8, with the winner playing for $22 million and 750 ATP rankings points.

The top eight countries will then play the final rounds in Sydney.

All of Perth's matches will be played at RAC Arena, with Nadal and Roberto Bautista Agut representing Spain in the competition.

The US, Russia, Italy, Georgia and Japan will also appear in Perth, with two more countries set to be drawn in November.

Australia will be represented in Brisbane by Nick Kyrgios and Alex de Minaur. Other countries drawn to play in Brisbane include Serbia, led by world number 1 Novak Djokovic.

Swiss star Roger Federer will play his preliminary rounds in Sydney.

Mr Papalia said Nadal's appearance would put Perth on the map for tennis fans, who would also have the opportunity to see Australia play the Fed Cup final against France in November.

"It’s fantastic timing to have also secured Japan in the draw, as we’ve just come off the back of launching the direct flights to Japan," he said.

“It gives visitors from Japan another great reason to come to WA.

"They can experience our wonderful natural experiences, first-grade hospitality offerings and world-class tennis at the same time.”

Tickets for the event are on sale September 18.