PERTH, January 6, 2018

Switzerland has defeated Germany to win the 2018 Mastercard Hopman Cup. Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic beat Germany’s Alexander Zverev and Angelique Kerber in Saturday’s final in Perth 2-1.

“It’s kind of surreal. When you first play Hopman Cup you think you’ll be back every year, then all of a sudden, your plans change, your life changes and you have different preparations,” Federer told.

“I realised today that I should be happy to be on court, in front of so many fans. It’s so much better than being home and frustrated I can’t play,” said Bencic, who reached the fourth round of the Australian Open back in 2016. “I want to be more relaxed now and to not put so much pressure on my game. I play tennis because I want to have fun, not because of the rankings, nor the money.”

The last time Switzerland won the Hopman Cup was in 2001 when Federer teamed up with Martina Hingis.

Federer and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario are the only two players to win the Hopman Cup 12 years or more apart.