WATCH: Novak Djokovic and Team Serbia count down to 2024 following United Cup win against China

Novak Djokovic and his teammates from Serbia rang in the new year 2024 with fans at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, after their victory over China in the 2024 United Cup.

The Serbian team, which also includes Olga Danilovic, Hamad Medjedovic, Nikola Cacic, Natalija Stevanovic, and Dejana Radanovic, joined the countdown to midnight on the court and hugged each other in celebration.

The video of their festive moment was shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, December 31.

The United Cup is a mixed-gender team tennis tournament that serves as the opener for the 2024 ATP and WTA tour. It is currently being held from December 29, 2023, to January 7, 2024, at two venues in the Australian cities of Perth and Sydney.

Djokovic and Danilovic are the leading players for Serbia, in what is the country's debut at the United Cup. In their first match of the United Cup, Serbia faced China, which featured Zhizhen Zhang, Qinwen Zheng, Yunchaokete Bu, Xiaodi You, and Fajing Sun.

Djokovic delivered a dominant performance in his singles match, defeating Zhang in straight sets. Danilovic, however, lost her singles match to Zheng in straight sets. The fate of the tie was decided by the mixed doubles match, where Djokovic and Danilovic teamed up to beat Zhang and Zheng, 6-4, 1-6, 10-6, securing the win for Serbia.

The Serbian team will face the Czech Republic in their next match on Tuesday, January 2, 2024, in Perth. The Czech team consists of Jiri Vesely, Marketa Vondrousova, Vít Kopriva, Sara Bejlek, Petr Nouza, and Miriam Kolodziejova.

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Novak Djokovic calls for innovation amid speculation of LIV Golf-style tour to challenge ATP and WTA

Novak Djokovic at the 2023 Davis Cup Final

Novak Djokovic recently expressed his views on the future of tennis and responded to speculation about a new elite tennis tour inspired by LIV Golf.

LIV Golf was launched in 2021 and has attracted many golfers from various golf tours around the world. Some of the best golfers in the world, such as Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm, and Cam Smith, quit the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf, which is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

The Guardian reported that the ATP and WTA Tours might face competition from a new tennis tour that could start as soon as 2025. Recent reports suggested that Saudi Arabia might also pour a lot of money into tennis, offering tempting deals to many players on the ATP and WTA tours.

Djokovic talked about the future of the sport and the possible alternative tour ahead of the United Cup. The Serb said that a joint effort is needed to keep the young generation interested in tennis.

“I’m generally always supportive of improving the sport. I have said this many times before, that I think that tennis is not using its full potential. We are one of the most globally watched and popular sports in the world, but I think that we have been quite conservative and conventional in certain aspects, and that unfortunately hasn’t really been a great appeal to the younger audience," Djokovic said.

“I’m a big supporter of our history and tradition and everything, I think we should always nurture that. But I think we need to try to adjust to the modern times and try to understand what the younger audience wants and really make the tennis more appealing to that group," he added.

While acknowledging whispers of a new tour, Novak Djokovic remained cautious, stressing the need for concrete information before forming an opinion.

"So that’s in terms of general overview. And where I stand [on talk of a rebel tour], I have no idea what elite tour you’re talking about. I have heard rumours as well, but it is, I guess, still early stages and we didn’t see anything concrete out there," he said.