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Novakowi Djokoviciowi bardzo podoba się koncepcja nowego drużynowego turnieju, ATP Cup. - 90 proc. naszych występów to starty indywidualne. A ten turniej zgromadzi wiele nacji i naprawdę zrobi wrażenie - powiedział Serb.
Marcin Motyka
Marcin Motyka
02 Stycznia 2020, 05:10

Novak Djoković
Getty Images / Michael Dodge / Na zdjęciu: Novak Djoković

Rafael Nadal i Novak Djoković gotowi do startu nowego sezonu. Hiszpan i Serb są już w Australii
Cztery ostatnie sezony Novak Djoković rozpoczynał występem w turnieju w Dosze. W tym roku zmienił jednak plany i po raz pierwszy od 11 lat, gdy zagrał w Brisbane, w pierwszym tygodniu rozgrywek zaprezentuje się w Australii. Będzie jedną z największych gwiazd rozpoczynającego się w piątek ATP Cup.
- Jestem tutaj wcześniej niż w poprzednich latach - mówił, cytowany przez portal ubitennis.net, podczas konferencji prasowej w Brisbane. - Aklimatyzuję się, bo w Europie nie jest tak ciepło. W minionych sezonach w pierwszym tygodniu grałem głównie w Katarze. Teraz myślę, że rozpoczęcie roku w Brisbane może mi pomóc w perspektywie Australian Open.



Serb, który nie był entuzjastą powstania Pucharu ATP, teraz jest zachwycony formułą turnieju. - Koncepcja ATP Cup daje nam możliwość reprezentowania swojego kraju i bycia częścią zespołu, czego nie doświadczamy często w ciągu roku. 90 proc. naszych występów to starty indywidualne. A ten turniej zgromadzi wiele nacji i naprawdę zrobi wrażenie - powiedział.

W składzie Serbii, prócz Djokovicia, znaleźli się Dusan Lajović, Nikola Milojević, Viktor Troicki i Nikola Cacić. Serbowie trafili do Grupy A, której mecze będą odbywać się w Brisbane. W fazie wstępnej zmierzą się z RPA (4 stycznia), Francją (6 stycznia) i Chile (8 stycznia).

- Dla mnie szansa gry dla ojczyzny to miły i dający powody do dumy moment - dodał tenisista z Belgradu.

Djokovic improves to 9-2 against Anderson
It was a reaction typically reserved for a title, the pouring out of emotion after a week's worth of victories.

Upon beating Kevin Anderson 7-6(5), 7-6(6) on Saturday night in Brisbane, Novak Djokovic dropped his racquet and lifted his arms to the sky, inviting cheers from the boisterous flag-waving and pro-Serbian crowd. He later skipped back to the court and leapt into the air, fist pumping the win.

Djokovic and Serbia had not clinched the inaugural ATP Cup title; they had won only their first ATP Cup tie against South Africa. But that's how much the win – and the tournament – mean to the World No. 2 and his countrymen.

“I thought it was a fantastic opening match of the season," Djokovic said. “I was really pleasantly surprised and I'm very grateful to all the fans coming out and being patient, staying all the way to the end of the match, especially Serbian guys that really showed the great passion.”

He and Anderson typically meet at the end of the tournament, in the final weekend rather than the first. But on day two of the 2020 ATP Tour season, Djokovic and Anderson added Pat Rafter Arena to the list of venues where their ATP Head2Head rivalry has played out, a ledger that includes Centre Court for the 2018 Wimbledon final and The O2 in southeast London for the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals.
Djokovic won both of those match-ups, and he persevered through some up-and-down tennis to also take their first meeting in Australia. The Serbian No. 1 started quickly, holding to love twice and leading 4-1 as Anderson endured a glacial start.

The 33-year-old was playing his first match since 5 July at Wimbledon and played only five tournaments in 2019 due to injuries (right elbow, right knee). In September, the 6'8” right-hander had to shut down his season because of knee surgery.

“Coming first match back and straight away playing Novak's obviously a little bit tough,” Anderson said. “Definitely got off to a little bit of a nervous start but I am really pleased with the way I was able to turn it around and felt [like I] pretty much went toe-to-toe from midway through the first set through the rest of the match.”

After five games, Anderson resembled his former self, commanding points with his booming forehand and taking the racquet out of Djokovic's hands during his service games. Anderson saved seven of eight break points for the match, but in both tie-breaks, Djokovic was too Djokovic-esque as the Serbian fans pushed him to the finish.

Djokovic pulled away in the first-set tie-break and in the second set, Anderson had a set point at 6/5 but netted a forehand. At 6/6, Djokovic curled a forehand past Anderson at net and tapped a volley put-away on match point.

“I'm pretty pleased with my game. To be honest, considering the fact that he was playing at the very high level, I thought it was a fantastic match,” Djokovic said.
Earlier, Serbia's Dusan Lajovic rallied past South Africa's Lloyd Harris 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-3. Lajovic was broken twice in the opening set but steadied himself in the second set of his first match of the season, increasingly passing the 6'6" Harris and troubling him at net. Harris saved all four break points faced in the first two sets, but Lajovic broke twice in the final set.

“I was putting pressure on his serve and I think he was feeling it and that was the key in the tie-break,” Lajovic said. “I knew that if I stayed confident in the tie-break, I'd have my chances. And after the tie-break he went down physically a little bit.”

Harris finished 2019 at a career-best year-end FedEx ATP Ranking of No. 99 and will take plenty from his three-set tangle with Lajovic, last year's Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters finalist (l. to Fognini), as South Africa progresses at the inaugural 24-team event, which is being held in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney.

“It was a very tough match at the end. I felt like I played really well at the start, got off to that early break and continued with the momentum throughout the first set, even the second set until halfway I was feeling pretty much in control of the match,” Harris said. “It's been a really fun week and an enjoyable week and we have put in a lot of hard work, so let's see what we can do from here.”

In doubles, Nikola Cacic/Viktor Troicki gave Serbia a clean 3-0 sweep with a 6-3, 6-2 win against Raven Klaasen/Ruan Roelofse.

Novak Djokovic says that the option of postponing this year’s Australian Open must be considered as bushfires continued to sweep the country.

Latest reports claim that over 200 fires are currently burning in New South Wales and Victoria, with the first smoke of the crisis hitting Melbourne – the home of the Australian Open – this week.

And, with air quality becoming a serious concern, Djokovic has asked tournament chiefs to be open-minded about what would be an unprecedented decision.

“You have to consider it because of some extreme weather or conditions,” Djokovic explained in Brisbane, where he is representing Serbia at the ATP Cup. “But that’s probably the very, very last option.

“I think they are going to try to do everything to [not] delay in terms of days and when it starts.

“But if it comes down to those conditions affecting the health of players, I think we should definitely consider it.”

The situation with the bushfires certainly appears to be on the mind of players, with Djokovic admitting his camp have already been in touch with Tennis Australia chief Craig Tiley.

“People from my team have spoken to Craig Tiley, they are obviously tracking the situation every day as it is evolving and hopefully coming down with the smoke and fires.

“If it continues the same way and quality of air is affected in Melbourne and Sydney I think Tennis Australia will be forced create some rules about it.

Djokovic/Troicki beat Mahut/Roger-Vasselin in doubles
An animated and emotional Novak Djokovic carried Serbia to a place in the ATP Cup Final Eight on Monday night in Brisbane.
Djokovic and Viktor Troicki clinched the 2-1 tie victory in a deciding doubles match against France's Nicolas Mahut/Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-3, 6-7(5), 10-3, a win that was aided by a pro-Serbia crowd that waved their flags and roared after every point. Chants of “Serb-i-a! Serb-i-a! Serb-i-a!” reverberated off the Pat Rafter Arena roof.
Djokovic/Troicki saw four break points at 4-4 in the second set but the Frenchmen saved them all. The Serbians, however, dominated the Match Tie-break as Troicki served it out.
“I really show my emotion because I really care about playing for Serbia, but I also care about being on the team with my friends. These guys are some of my best friends in my life and I grew up with Viktor. We played so many doubles matches together in junior days,” Djokovic said.
What Are The Final Eight Qualification Scenarios?
Serbia wins Group A and becomes the second team to qualify for the Final Eight. Australia booked its place on Sunday as the Group F winners, also in Brisbane.
“We really feel not just like playing at home, even better than that. They're really fantastic, they're treating us unbelievable, and it was a great experience to play tonight in front of them,” Troicki said.

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In singles, it took a few games, but Djokovic returned to his dominant self to force the finale. Djokovic beat Gael Monfils for the 16th time (16-0) 6-3, 6-2.
Serbia's No. 1 erased all seven break points faced in the first set, including two in the opening game. On return, he converted all three break points he saw. He and Monfils started their ATP Head2Head rivalry 15 years ago, at the 2005 US Open.
“I was unable to take the opportunities,” Monfils said. “He was very efficient on break points and I think the big points. Today I was a little bit struggling to win the big points.”
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Benoit Paire put France on the board by maintaining his resolve and overcoming Dusan Lajovic 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-4.
Paire, a three-time ATP Tour titlist, served for the match at 5-4 in the second set but was broken. Lajovic forced a tie-break, where Paire returned to his confident play, smashing flat backhands and cutting exquisite volleys to earn two match points at 6/4.
But Lajovic won the next four points to force a deciding set, and Paire was stunned. He broke two racquets, tossed a couple water bottles and needing consoling from Monfils, Nicolas Mahut and captain Gilles Simon.
“It was not easy. When you have a lot of chances and when you serve for the match, when you lead 6/4 in the tie-break, it's not easy," Paire said. "My team stayed with me, told me to stay focussed in the match. I was playing good so they told me to just keep like this and we'll see."

He regrouped and attacked Lajovic's second serve to break in the 10th game of the deciding set and improve to 2-0 at the inaugural 24-team event.
The French No. 2 singles player credited the huddle with his teammates and coach for helping him maintain composure.
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“Honestly, if I'm alone on court I can break more than the racquet; I can destroy all my racquets and leave the court. So that's why they told me, 'Just stay relaxed and you will see what happens. For the moment you play good, it's a good match, a lot of winners, some mistakes'. But it was very important for me to stay focussed for the team,” Paire said.
“When Gael came and told me, 'Yeah, you have to fight, you have to fight for the team', I did it, so that's why I'm happy.”

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Novak Djokovic owns a 3-0 record at the ATP Cup.
Djokovic Experiences Career-First In Brisbane
Jan062020
ATP Staff
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Novak Djokovic

Serbia clinched Final Eight spot on Day 4

There have been many notable moments in the career of Novak Djokovic, but the Serbian can add two more to his list following Team Serbia’s dramatic 2-1 victory against Team France at the ATP Cup.

Firstly, the Serbian’s 6-3, 6-7(5), 10-3 doubles victory alongside Viktor Troicki earned his country a spot at the Final Eight in Sydney. But Djokovic will also remember the match for a different reason, after losing a point for the first time in his career by Video Review.

With Troicki serving at 6-3, 2-3, (30/30), Djokovic dismissed Nicolas Mahut’s return with a forehand volley to earn game point. But Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin were convinced the Serbian had touched the ball before it had travelled across the net.

“It seemed to me, at first, that it was kind of just in the middle. Not our side. Not their side,” said Djokovic. "But then, the chair umpire, after repeating the video a couple of times, he was right."

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The situation reminded Djokovic of the moment he fell into the net while hitting another forehand volley during the fifth set of his 2013 Roland Garros semi-final loss to Rafael Nadal.

“I already lost a very important point in my career against Nadal in a similar way like that in the semi-finals at Roland Garros," said Djokovic. "So I had a little bit of a déjà vu there and got frustrated because of that.”

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But the frustration of a game point becoming a break point did not affect the 77-time tour-level titlist. Djokovic and Troicki recovered from the position to hold serve, delighting much of the pro-Serbia crowd inside Pat Rafter Arena.

“It is what it is. We bounced back, won the next two points," said Djokovic. "That got myself, I think Viktor and the crowd a little bit hyped up. I think after that the energy of the crowd was amazing. Also, the French team were lifting their team up and it was a big battle.”

Serbia will face Chile in its final group stage tie on Day 6 before travelling to Sydney for the Final Eight. The Group A winners will face the eighth team to qualify for the Final Eight in the day session on 10 January.
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World No. 2 closes out tie against Shapovalov
Novak Djokovic thrusted Serbia into the ATP Cup semi-finals on Friday, rallying behind a flag-waving Serbian crowd in Sydney to beat Canada's Denis Shapovalov 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(4).

Shapovalov broke Djokovic as he served for the match at 5-4 and erased a break point at 5-5. But in the tie-break, the 20-year-old couldn't hold back the World No. 2 any longer as Djokovic raised his game again at the inaugural tournament.

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"It was an amazing match. One of the closest matches I've played against Denis. It was very even match. He played fantastic, very aggressive, served great. We fought both until the last shot," Djokovic said.

Djokovic, who improved to 4-0 in ATP Cup singles matches, will lead his country against Daniil Medvedev and Russia on Saturday for a place in the ATP Cup title match.

Russia's top two players, Medvedev and Karen Khachanov, have yet to lose a singles match at the ATP Cup, and Medvedev beat Djokovic two of the three times they played in 2019, including at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati.


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Shapovalov had been 0-4 against Djokovic and had taken only one set from the Serbian, at the 2019 Australian Open. But one year later, Shapovalov showed how much he's learned about Djokovic's game, pinning him behind the baseline with his forehand in the first set.

At 4-4 in the opener, Shapovalov broke on his third opportunity when, after pounding forehands and pushing Djokovic farther back, he calmly delivered a drop shot for the break.

Shapovalov had three more chances to go up a set and a break in the third game of the second set, but Djokovic erased them all and held when the Canadian sliced a backhand approach long. The partisan Serbian crowd, armed with a trumpet, flags and rested voices, roared as Djokovic lifted his arms to elicit their support.

Serbian Crowd

The Serbian faithful in Brisbane, which lifted Serbia to a 3-0 Group A record and Viktor Troicki described as “better than” a home crowd in Serbia, had received red, white and blue reinforcements in Sydney. Their thunderous applause amplified under the new roof on Ken Rosewall Arena, and Djokovic turned to them whenever he needed a lift in the muggy, hot conditions.

After the missed opportunities, Shapovalov wasn't the same the rest of the set. He double faulted to give Djokovic the break and a 3-1 lead, and later was warned for unsportsmanlike conduct after engaging with the crowd. Umpire Carlos Bernardes called out Canadian captain Adriano Fuorivia to discuss the situation, and Djokovic broke twice more to force a decider.

Shapovalov regrouped in the final set, but Djokovic clinched Serbia's semi-final on his fourth match point.

“It's another step for me, showing me that I'm right there with these guys. Honestly, I was a couple points away from taking the match,” Shapovalov said. “I think I'm at a really good position. Hopefully I don't stop here. Hopefully I can keep going.”


Dusan Lajovic gave Serbia a 1-0 lead with a 6-4, 6-2 win against #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Lajovic, the World No. 34, dominated rallies of eight shots or less 66-49 as Auger-Aliassime fell to 1-3 at the ATP Cup. The 19-year-old made 32 unforced errors.

“I can tell that I was feeling much more comfortable today than the whole time in Brisbane. I felt pretty relaxed and positive on the court from the first point,” Lajovic said.

“We started off pretty well, really high intensity rhythm. I was feeling that it was not something that I'm uncomfortable with. Then I was just waiting to one of us to start to open up a little bit and push a little bit more, and I was able to do that first and crack him in the first set. And I think that was the key today, that the one who stayed longer on this high level was the one who could prevail in the end.”

In doubles, Nikola Cacic and Viktor Troicki completed the tie with a 6-3, 6-2 victory against Peter Polansky and Adil Shamasdin. Cacic and Troicki saved the only break point they faced throughout the 58-minute encounter.

Djokovic will play World No. 1 Nadal when Serbia faces Spain on Sunday
To say Novak Djokovic rode a roller coaster on Saturday would be an understatement. The World No. 2 navigated his way through plenty of ups and downs to squeak past Daniil Medvedev in two hours and 48 minutes.
But it wasn’t the length of the match that made it special; it was the intensity. Djokovic and Medvedev engaged in gut-busting rallies that at times left the Serbian bent over, not because he’s not as fit as they come, but because of the physicality of the points.
“Exciting, exhausting, joyful, dreadful all at once,” Djokovic said. “At one point I think we both refused to miss from [the] baseline, so it was a lot of rallies and it was very exhausting. Very physical battle, but also [a] mental battle.”
In a way, Djokovic was looking himself in the mirror. After the 31-minute first set, in which Medvedev made 12 unforced errors from 46 points, the Russian buckled down and forced the Serbian to do something special to win a point, lengthening the rallies and turning the match into a battle of attrition.
“You have to try to use the various tactics and variations in the game itself, the rotation in the ball, and not really give him always the same look because it seems like he's a machine,” Djokovic said. “I feel the same when I'm in lockdown, so it was a very physical battle. Some amazing points obviously.
“[It was] definitely one of the most exciting matches I have played against him or any other top player [in the] past few years.”
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Djokovic left no doubt that the pro-Serbian crowd inside Ken Rosewall Arena helped push him over the finish line. There were plenty of reasons Djokovic could have become frustrated against the ultra-consistent Medvedev, but there was no way he was letting down his country’s fans.
“I love playing for Serbia and for my country, and team competitions is something that gets me going tremendously,” Djokovic said. “I love it. I love the experiences, the emotions. Nenad [Zimonjic] is our captain. All of the guys on the team are dear friends of mine, some of the best friends I have in my life. I have known them for over 20 years.
“So to get to share these kind of quality moments on and off the court with them, it feels like you're traveling with a family. That gives you even more reason to keep on playing.
“That’s why I wouldn't say that I'm really fully focussed on Melbourne. Of course that's where I want to play my best, but this time is different, because ATP Cup is really, is more special. I really enjoy it because of all of the things that I just stated.”
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Djokovic has already overcome plenty of obstacles during the first event of the season, beating the likes of Kevin Anderson, Denis Shapovalov and Medvedev. And now, he will face his biggest challenge yet in World No. 1 Rafael Nadal when Serbia faces Spain for the championship.
It doesn’t take much to get the 77-time tour-level champion going. But he will be keen to extend his 28-26 ATP Head2Head series lead against the lefty legend.
“It's the beginning of the season, and I'm not the only player that feels and talks this way, but I'm very motivated,” Djokovic said. “I'm inspired to play my best tennis.”

Djokovic evens tie at 1-1
Novak Djokovic prolonged his mastery over World No. 1 Rafael Nadal on hard courts, and Serbia and Spain will play a deciding doubles match for the ATP Cup title on Sunday night in Sydney.
Djokovic won his ninth consecutive match on hard courts against Nadal and extended his set win streak to 19 (since 2013 US Open final) against the World No. 1 with the 6-2, 7-6(4) win. The World No. 2 now leads Open Era's most prolific head-to-head series 29-26.
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Djokovic dominated from the start, putting Nadal on the defensive with his return and especially during backhand-to-forehand rallies as Nadal struggled to keep pace. The Spaniard's backhand slice did little to rattle Djokovic, and when the Spaniard was settled in on defence, Djokovic would deliver a drop shot that would leave the World No. 1 reeling.
Djokovic broke in the opening and fifth games to roars from the pro-Serbia crowd. The trumpets blared and flags waved before the World No. 2 served the set out to love behind four consecutive aces.
Nadal saw his first five break points of the match in the sixth game of the second set, as Djokovic served 2-3, 0/40. But as the outnumbered yet vocal Spanish fans screamed, Djokovic erased them all, the final on a backhand-to-forehand rally that ended with a Nadal forehand shank.
“Ser-bi-a! Ser-bi-a! Ser-bi-a!” the fans roared.
You May Also Like: Bautista Agut Gives Spain Early ATP Cup Final Lead
All ATP Cup, in Brisbane and Sydney, Djokovic and his teammates have been bolstered by the thousands of Serbians living in Australia and rooting for their home country. The marquee matchup of the final was their best showing yet.
In the second set, Nadal hit over his backhand more frequently and held throughout, including at 5-5 when he erased two break points.
But in the tie-break, Djokovic returned to his old reliable, blasting backhands to Nadal's forehand corner for a mini-break at 4/4 and served it out two points later.
The two are expected to return to the court now for the deciding doubles. Serbia is expected to play Djokovic/Troicki against Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta/Nadal.

Djokovic backs up his big singles win

Novak Djokovic was clutch for Serbia all ATP Cup, but no more so than on the final day of the inaugural tournament as the World No. 2 won two matches and clinched the team title for his country.

Djokovic teamed with countryman Viktor Troicki in a deciding doubles match to beat Pablo Carreno Busta/Feliciano Lopez of Spain 6-3, 6-4, in a match that finished a little after 1 a.m. Monday in Sydney.
Djokovic/Troicki fell behind a break and 1-3 in the first set but, behind a rowdy pro-Serbia crowd, reeled off seven consecutive games and Djokovic served it out, just as he did in singles earlier in the evening. Team Serbia rushed the court, jumping around with Djokovic and Troicki in celebration.

“I'll remember this experience for the rest of my life as definitely one of the nicest moments in my career,” Djokovic said. “I've been very fortunate and blessed to have an amazing career the last 15 years, but playing for the team, playing for the country with some of my best friends for a long long time, you can't match that. That's just too special.”

The World No. 2 continued, elaborating on the support the team has received all tournament, during group play in Brisbane and at the Final Eight in Sydney. A total of 220,319 fans attended the 10-day tournament, and a good percentage of them were supporters of Djokovic and Serbia.

“I've never experienced an atmosphere like this on a tennis court... You carried us to victory and we owe you a big, big thanks,” Djokovic said. “We are part of an individual sport where we play by ourselves. But even when we were playing singles it never felt like it was only you out there. You always have a team in your corner giving you strength and focus. This was the highlight of the competition, along with the support of fans and the flags.”
Troicki was similarly emotional about winning the team title with his boyhood friend Djokovic.

“I want to thank Novak for playing with me again. It was a great experience like always. I remember playing with him since we were nine, 10. To share such a moment on the court with him, I cannot describe it with words. As you said, I'll remember it for the rest of my life,” Troicki said.

Djokovic forced the deciding doubles after beating Rafael Nadal 6-2, 7-6(4). Nadal and Spain opted for the World No. 1 not to play doubles.
“I have been playing a lot of tennis the last couple of days. My teammates have been playing great yesterday. My level of energy is a little bit lower than usual, because I played long yesterday, very long before yesterday, very long in [Perth] the last day,” Nadal said.

“So it's a team decision, and we believe in our team. That's why we had success in the past, because we were able to give the confidence to the rest of the players, and we give the confidence to Feliciano and Pablo.”

Earlier, Roberto Bautista Agut improved to 6-0 at the ATP Cup and gave Spain a 1-0 lead with a 7-5, 6-1 win against Serbia's Dusan Lajovic.

Djokovic backs up his big singles win
Novak Djokovic was clutch for Serbia all ATP Cup, but no more so than on the final day of the inaugural tournament as the World No. 2 won two matches and clinched the team title for his country.

Djokovic teamed with countryman Viktor Troicki in a deciding doubles match to beat Pablo Carreno Busta/Feliciano Lopez of Spain 6-3, 6-4, in a match that finished a little after 1 a.m. Monday in Sydney.


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Djokovic/Troicki fell behind a break and 1-3 in the first set but, behind a rowdy pro-Serbia crowd, reeled off seven consecutive games and Djokovic served it out, just as he did in singles earlier in the evening. Team Serbia rushed the court, jumping around with Djokovic and Troicki in celebration.

“I'll remember this experience for the rest of my life as definitely one of the nicest moments in my career,” Djokovic said. “I've been very fortunate and blessed to have an amazing career the last 15 years, but playing for the team, playing for the country with some of my best friends for a long long time, you can't match that. That's just too special.”


The World No. 2 continued, elaborating on the support the team has received all tournament, during group play in Brisbane and at the Final Eight in Sydney. A total of 220,319 fans attended the 10-day tournament, and a good percentage of them were supporters of Djokovic and Serbia.

“I've never experienced an atmosphere like this on a tennis court... You carried us to victory and we owe you a big, big thanks,” Djokovic said. “We are part of an individual sport where we play by ourselves. But even when we were playing singles it never felt like it was only you out there. You always have a team in your corner giving you strength and focus. This was the highlight of the competition, along with the support of fans and the flags.”

Team Serbia celebrates after beating Team Spain 2-1 to win the <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/ ... rview'>ATP Cup</a>.

Troicki was similarly emotional about winning the team title with his boyhood friend. As an eight-year-old, Djokovic played his second-ever competitive match against Troicki, a 9-1 loss.

“I want to thank Novak for playing with me again. It was a great experience like always. I remember playing with him since we were nine, 10. To share such a moment on the court with him, I cannot describe it with words. As you said, I'll remember it for the rest of my life,” Troicki said.

Djokovic forced the deciding doubles after beating Rafael Nadal 6-2, 7-6(4). Nadal and Spain opted for the World No. 1 not to play doubles.


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“I have been playing a lot of tennis the last couple of days. My teammates have been playing great yesterday. My level of energy is a little bit lower than usual, because I played long yesterday, very long before yesterday, very long in [Perth] the last day,” Nadal said.

“So it's a team decision, and we believe in our team. That's why we had success in the past, because we were able to give the confidence to the rest of the players, and we give the confidence to Feliciano and Pablo.”

Earlier, Roberto Bautista Agut improved to 6-0 at the ATP Cup and gave Spain a 1-0 lead with a 7-5, 6-1 win against Serbia's Dusan Lajovic.