Djokovic delivers in singles and doubles as Serbia beat China in United Cup

Djokovic demonstrated his unwavering dominance by clinching the Australian, French, and US Open titles last season, with his only setback being a five-set loss in the Wimbledon final. He further solidified his position as the year-end top-ranked player at the ATP Finals.

Losing no time, Djokovic swiftly prepared himself for the upcoming Australian Open, aiming to secure his record-extending 11th championship. In his first match of the 2024 season, he swiftly defeated Zhang, the 58th-ranked player in the world, in just 72 minutes at a packed RAC Arena.

Following this, Zheng Qinwen defeated Olga Danilovic 6-4, 6-2, resulting in a 1-1 tie. However, Djokovic teamed up with Danilovic once again and secured a hard-fought victory against Zheng and Zhang, winning 6-4, 1-6, 10-6.

In Group C, Taylor Fritz and Jessica Pegula joined forces to lead the defending champions, the United States, to a 2-1 victory over Britain. They overcame Neal Skupski and Katie Boulter in a thrilling match, prevailing 1-6, 7-6(4), 10-7.

With a win over Australia on Monday, the Americans can secure their spot in the quarter-finals of the $10 million team event, which features 18 countries.

Boulter continued her impressive start to the season after defeating Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic. She fought back from a set and 3-0 deficit to defeat world number five Pegula, winning 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 and giving Britain a 1-0 lead.

Despite a left thigh problem, Fritz rallied and defeated Cameron Norrie 7-6(5), 6-4, bringing his team back into contention.

In the solitary Sydney match, Canada secured a 2-1 victory against Chile, their Group B rivals. Steven Diez and Leylah Fernandez triumphed over Tomas Barrios Vera and Daniela Seguel with a score of 7-5, 4-6, 10-8.

Fernandez dominated Seguel in the opening match of the tie, winning with a score of 6-2, 6-3. Following that, Nicolas Jarry emerged victorious with a score of 7-5, 6-4 against Diez, who had replaced Canada's top-ranked player, Felix Auger-Aliassime.