The United Cup tennis tournament began on Friday, with Spain taking on Brazil and Australia taking on Great Britain in a high-profile late game in Perth, Western Australia.
The tournament, which will feature mixed teams from 18 countries, will be held in Perth and Sydney, with matches starting on Saturday. Two quarter-finalists will be determined from each group in Perth and Sydney, with the semi-finals and final on January 7 taking place in Sydney.
In this format, men’s and women’s singles matches are played before mixed doubles. This is the same one previously used at the highly successful Hopman Cup held in Perth.
Iga Swiatek, number one in the women’s rankings, is playing for Poland in Perth. Australian Open top-ranked and defending champion Novak Djokovic also arrived in Perth to represent Serbia.
Serbia will face China on Sunday and the Czech Republic on Tuesday in the group stage, while Djokovic is scheduled to face world No. 58 Zhang Zhizhen and No. 31 Jiri Lehecka in the men’s singles match.
Djokovic won three Grand Slam singles titles this year, but only missed Wimbledon, where he lost in five sets to Carlos Alcaraz in the final. He has won 10 of his 24 Grand Slam singles titles, including the Australian Open.
Upon arriving in Perth, he reiterated that he had no intention of retiring.
“To be honest, I hope this isn’t the last time. I mean, I always look forward to coming back to Australia,” Djokovic said. “I’ve always felt like I’ve played my best tennis (here) over the years, and I’ve had great support.”
Djokovic last visited Perth in 2013 to play in the Hopman Cup.
“It feels great. It’s been a long time since I was last here,” Djokovic said. “I remember it was always a great crowd when we played in Perth. In Australia in general people love tennis and they love the sport, so I wouldn’t expect anything less this time. , I’m sure it’s going to be great for all of us.”
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AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis