World No. 1
Novak Djokovic has arrived in Perth to represent Serbia in the
United Cup,
taking place from Thursday, December 28, to Sunday, January 7. 'Nole' traveled
directly from Riyadh after the exhibition match in which he was defeated by
Carlos Alcaraz (4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in favor of the Spanish player).
Upon his
arrival in Australia, the 24-times Grand Slam champion commented that every
time he plays in Perth, he feels welcomed by the Australian audience:
"It's been a while since I played here. I remember every time I played in
Perth was great. People here in Australia love tennis, sports in general, so I
expect nothing less now. I'm sure everyone will enjoy it."
"I hope this is not the last time I play in Australia"
Djokovic
also spoke about the importance he places on representing his country in
international competitions. The 36-year-old tennis player participated a month
ago in the Davis Cup Finals, where the Serbians reached the semifinals but fell
to the eventual champion, Italy: "It's always an honor to represent
Serbia. I hope that the stands will be full and that many people will come to
watch our matches. It will be a good introduction to Melbourne."
Djokovic
enters the tournament as preparation for the Australian Open, a tournament he
won in the last four editions he participated in between 2019 and 2023 (absent
in 2022 due to anti-vaccine restrictions). The World No. 1 acknowledged that he
hopes to continue coming to Australia to play tournaments: "I hope this is
not the last time I play in Australia. I always look forward to coming here. I
feel that years ago I played my best tennis here and I had strong
support," concluded Djokovic.
Serbia at
the 2024 United Cup
The Serbian
team qualified in 13th place out of 18 countries participating in the
tournament. Djokovic secured direct qualification thanks to his ATP ranking and
will lead his country. 'Nole' is accompanied by Olga Danilovic (World No. 119),
along with tennis players Hamad Medjedovic, Natalika Strevanovic, Nikola Cacic,
Dajana Radanovic, and captained by Viktor Troicki.
The Serbian
team is in Group E and will face the Czech Republic and China. The first match
will be on December 31, where Djokovic will debut against Zhang Zhizhen, and on
January 2, he will play against Jiri Lehecka.