Jan. 2: Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic combined to give Serbia a 3-0 sweep over Kazakhstan on Sunday in their opening match at the Hopman Cup. Ivanovic defeated Yaroslava Shvedova 7-6 (6), 6-1 in the opening match before Djokovic sealed the victory by rallying to beat Andrey Golubev 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. The duo completed the sweep with a 7-6 (2), 6-4 win in the mixed doubles.
Djokovic looked sluggish in the first set, when Golubev got the decisive break in the ninth game. But the Serb found his stride in the second, taking a 5-2 lead before racing through the decider.
“I was having a lot of fun,” said Djokovic, who is playing in the event for the first time since 2007. “You don’t get many events throughout the year where you can really have fun and enjoy tennis. This is the event where I could just bring some laughs and a couple of jokes here and there during the match. Hopefully people like it,” he said.