Djokovic to start 2024 season at United Cup, Nadal not in Spain team

[October 20, 2023]  MELBOURNE (Reuters) - World number one Novak Djokovic will start his 2024 season at the mixed teams United Cup in Australia but his great rival Rafa Nadal was not on the Spain team released on Friday.
 
Djokovic will lead Serbia at the second edition of the A$15 million ($9.47 million) event from Dec. 29-Jan. 7 before bidding for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.  

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 18, 2023 Spain's Rafael Nadal in action during his second round match against Mackenzie Mcdonald of the U.S. REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File Photo

Team Poland, led by four-time major champion Iga Swiatek and 11th-ranked Hubert Hurkacz, are top seeds at the 16-nation tournament, which was won by the United States in January.

Nadal played for Spain in that edition and while he described it as a "great idea" he criticized the format for having teams play off in dead rubbers.

He was later beaten in the second round of his Australian Open title defense after aggravating a hip injury and has not returned to action since.

Tournament director Craig Tiley announced last week that Nadal would play in the next Australian Open in January but the Spaniard's representative said there was no date set for his comeback.

If fit, Nadal has a choice of other Australian Open warmup events in the leadup to the Grand Slam, including a pair of ATP tournaments in Adelaide from Jan. 1.

($1 = 1.5835 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

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