The world’s number one tennis player, Novak Djokovic, is set to kick off his 2024 season at the United Cup, a mixed teams tournament in Australia. Leading the Serbian team, Djokovic will compete in the A$15 million event, scheduled from December 29 to January 7. Following this, he will seek to secure his record-extending 25th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.
Team Poland, featuring four-time major champion Iga Swiatek and the 11th-ranked Hubert Hurkacz, has been seeded as the top team among the 16 nations participating in this prestigious tournament. The United States emerged as the champions in the previous edition held in January.
In the prior competition, the United Cup, Spain’s legendary Rafa Nadal represented his country. While he praised the event as a “great idea,” he raised concerns about the format, particularly teams competing in matches that have no bearing on the outcome.
Nadal faced an unfortunate setback when he aggravated a hip injury and was defeated in the second round of his Australian Open title defense. Since then, he has been absent from competitive tennis.
While tournament director Craig Tiley recently confirmed that Nadal would participate in the next Australian Open in January, Nadal’s representative clarified that a specific date for his return has not been established.
In the event of his fitness, Nadal has the option to participate in other Australian Open warm-up tournaments in the lead-up to the Grand Slam, including a pair of ATP events in Adelaide starting from January 1.
