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Davis Cup: Ousted Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic (picture) will lead hosts Serbia against Russia in their February 3-5 Davis Cup first-round tie, the world number two said. “I always look forward to playing in the Davis Cup because it’s a very special feeling when we are all together,” Djokovic told the Serbian Tennis Association. Djokovic’s original 2017 schedule did not include playing in the Davis Cup tie with Russia but the early Australian Open exit has given the 29-year-old from Belgrade an opportunity to rediscover some of his lost confidence.

Golf: American journeyman Hudson Swafford birdied three of the last four holes to clinch his first PGA Tour title by one shot at the $5.8 million CareerBuilder Challenge in La Quinta, California. Two strokes off the pace going into the final round on the hosting Stadium Course, Swafford fired a sparkling five-under-par 67 in overcast conditions to hold off a late challenge by third-round leader Adam Hadwin of Canada. Swafford picked up shots at the 15th, 16th and 17th to move one stroke clear of a congested leaderboard before comfortably parring the last to post a 20-under total of 268.

Basketball: Los Angeles Lakers have endured some low points in recent seasons, but the nadir occurred Sunday. Dallas Mavericks blitzed Los Angeles in the second quarter and handed the Lakers the worst loss in franchise history, 122-73. It was the Mavericks’ largest margin of victory and 13th consecutive win against the Lakers. Dallas missed their first 50-point victory since a win over Philadelphia on Nov. 13, 2014. The Mavericks, whose 15-29 record is better than the marks of just four NBA teams, including the Lakers (16-32), snapped to a two-game losing streak.

Figure Skating: Teenage prodigy Nathan Chen became the first skater to land five quads in a single programme as he claimed his first national title at the US figure skating championships on Sunday in Kansas City, Missouri. The 17-year-old, the silver medallist behind Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu, of Japan, at last month’s Grand Prix Final in Marseille, posted an overall score of 318.47 to become the youngest US men’s champion since 1966. Chen, who grew up in Salt Lake City and trains in Southern California, set a record score of 106.39 in the short programme before following up with a record free skate total of 212.08 to leave his closest rivals trailing in his wake.

Cricket: India have rested leading spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja for the three-match Twenty20 international series against England, the country’s cricket board said yesterday. Off-spinner Ashwin and left-arm colleague Jadeja played all five tests against England, leading the hosts to a 4-0 victory in the rubber. Leg-spinner Amit Mishra and off-break bowler Parvez Rasool have replaced the duo in the 15-man squad, led by Virat Kohli, for the series, starting with the first match at Kanpur on Thursday.