The ATP and WTA tours are set to begin the 2024 season at the end of December. The players have only rested for a few weeks as they get ready to start the new season in Australia. The United Cup will be the opening event of the new season. The organizers have announced the groups, and Novak Djokovic will make his debut at the event. He will be leading Serbia’s attack, just like in the Davis Cup in November.
Team Serbia will be competing against the Czech Republic and China in the opening matches. Team China will be led by Zhizhen Zhang and Qinwen Zheng . The pair will be partners in mixed doubles and could face Djokovic in the match. Zheng is excited to share the same court with World No. 1. It will be the first time for her, and she is hoping to trouble Serbia in the mixed doubles match.
Oh heeeeey, debutants 👋
Give it up for TEAM CHINA 🇨🇳#UnitedCup pic.twitter.com/JKHcVY5P6r
— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) November 16, 2023
Djokovic and Zheng hold the highest rankings among their respective teams. The 21-year-old won 37 matches and won her first title this year. Djokovic will dominate the singles matches on the men’s side, while Zheng will be the favorite in the women’s singles. Meanwhile, the mixed doubles will be the deciding factor in each tie as they will be played after the singles matches.
Novak Djokovic is heading Serbia’s hopes in United Cup debut
The United Cup will begin on December 29 and go on until January 7. Serbia is making its debut at the event. It will try to make up for the painful defeat in the Davis Cup against Italy. Djokovic will be determined to start the season with a victory for his country. Serbia will be leading the singles ties, but the mixed doubles combination is still a cause for concern.
Alongside the 36-year-old, Nikola Cacic is present on the team. He leads the Serbian team in terms of experience in doubles. But it will be tough for Cacic to find a suitable partner for mixed doubles. There are no Serbians on the WTA tour who are full-time doubles players. Olga Danilovic, Natalija Stevanovic, and Dejana Radanovic specialize in singles.
IDEMO 🇷🇸#UnitedCup pic.twitter.com/dfGgSvWz8W
— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) December 2, 2023
Danilovic has more experience in doubles than her compatriots. She also has a higher ranking than others. The Serbian team will have to decide on whether to give Djokovic double duty. He needs to be fully fit for the singles matches. The 24-time Grand Slam champion is carrying hopes for Serbia. He did it this year without taking much rest between matches, even though he was the senior player.