Novak Djokovic was the deadline-day signing the 2023 United Cup needed, and the World No. 1 answered the call just hours before the registration shut.
Djokovic is set to take an early trip Down Under at the start of the 2024 season. He missed the inaugural United Cup this year, electing to play at the ATP 250 event in Adelaide, in which he won the title, beating Sebastian Korda from match point down in the final.
Djokovic would go on to lift the Australian Open for a 10th time just a few weeks later. The United Cup will return to the tennis calendar for a second time and will act as the official curtain-raiser for the 2024 season.
In its first year (won by Team USA), the United Cup generally received positive reviews for being the first-of-its-kind mixed-gender, tour-sanctioned tennis tournament.
And it wasn't just for the tennis, which for the most part was entertaining and electric, with stadiums packed to full capacity, but for the camaraderie, of ATP and WTA players actually watching each other firsthand, trash talking and making fun of each other on social media.
Djokovic will live through this experience for the first with the Serbian team, which has not been announced so far. Each team will be expected to have six members - a maximum of three ATP and WTA players.
And just like in its debut season, each team will have a captain. The official draw for the 2024 United Cup will take place next week, on Monday, October 24, whereby 18 countries will be divided into three groups of six teams, competing in two cities (Perth and Sydney) in a round-robin format.
In addition to the incentive of 500 ranking points and a hefty share of the $10 million prize money pool, the United Cup will likely serve as Djokovic's only preparatory tournament for the 2024 Australian Open where he will be going for an unprecedented 11th title.
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