The highly anticipated year-end Tennis Masters Cup in Sydney kicks off on Star Sports on Monday at 5:30 pm. 

The final will be telecast on 18 November at 6:30 pm. Only the top eight players are allowed entry into the tournament, so one can expect the quality of tennis to be of the highest order from day one. Expectedly, it is considered the most prestigious tennis tournament after the Grand Slam events.

In Sydney, huge banners have been put up on the main city streets, as part of the promotional campaign. A prize money of US $ 3.7 million is at stake for the eight gladiators. Two groups - the Ken Rosewall Group and the John Newcombe Group, will compete in the round robin competition. The top two players from each group will advance to the semi finals.

All four Grand Slam winners are competing in the event this year. This includes temperamental Croat Goran Ivanisevic, who shocked his peers by winning Wimbledon as a wildcard, Australian sensation Leyton Hewitt, who stunned Pete Sampras in the US Open final, and the best clay court player in the world, flamboyant Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten. Wimbledon runner up Pat Rafter will be the sentimental favourite, as he has indiacted that this could very well be the last time he plays in a Masters Cup event or perhaps even in Australia