Serbia Chooses Belgrade to Host Czechs in Davis Cup Semifinal

The Serbian Davis Cup team has chosen the Belgrade Arena for September’s Davis Cup semifinal against the Czech Republic.

Using the arena to defeat Uzbekistan and the United States in recent ties, the Serbian team will hope to draw on the 18,200 fans that will fill the stadium.

The tie, which will likely feature Novak Djokovic and company against Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek, will be held Sept. 17-19.

Croatia to Host Serbia in Split in Davis Cup Tie

Croatia and Serbia will meet for the first time in Davis Cup competition, July 9-11, since becoming independent countries.

The tie will be played at the Spaladium Arena in Split, and will host approximately 10,000 fans.

Croatia won the Davis Cup in 2005, while Serbia will be making its first quarterfinal showing in the world group this summer.

Novak Djokovic is expected to represent Serbia, with Ivan Ljubicic, Marin Cilic, and Ivo Karlovic leading the Croatian team.

Ranked No. 7 and No. 10 in the world, Croatia and Serbia promises to be one of the more entertaining ties of the weekend.

Djokovic Confirms that Isner and Querrey will Play His Belgrade Event

Taking part in a mandatory pre-tournament press conference yesterday in Miami, world No. 2 Novak Djokovic discussed his preparations for the year’s second Masters 1000, while revealing the players that will participate in his his 250 point event in Belgrade, Serbia.

The Serb told that media that Americans John Isner and Sam Querrey will make the trip back to Belgrade after enjoying their time at the recent Davis Cup tie.

“Well, look, as I was saying, the event itself is growing,” confessed Djokovic.

“The difficult thing about Belgrade event is the week that we have it. It’s between two 1000 events. Most of the players, top 10, top 20, will rest that week, especially with a heavy clay court season. So I was aware of that. I was telling to all of them, come to Belgrade, you know, and explore a little bit something else.  Belgrade has a lot to offer. It’s a growing city and it’s a developing city.

“It’s great fun, a lot of young people, and the tournament itself is fantastic. I mean, we are trying to do it as best as we can. But I was very surprised with group of players—actually I saw the entry list this morning, and I was surprised with John Isner and Sam Querrey signing up for the tournament,” revealed Djokovic.  I was very happy that they liked obviously the last time they were there.  They want to come back.”

Djokovic will face Oliver Rochus in second-round action.

Quotes courtesy of ASAP.

DC: Djokovic Fights Off Isner to Send Serbia into the Quarterfinals

Serbia vs. United States: Serbia wins 3-1

World No. 2 Novak Djokovic battled past a diligent effort from tall American John Isner during Sunday’s first reverse singles match to send Serbia into the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup world group.

Defeating Isner 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-4 just over four hours, Djokovic fought off 24 aces by the American while striking seven of his own.

Saving two set points in the fourth set tiebreak, Djokovic made an errant backhand pass which forced a fifth set. Djokovic improved to 14-5 in Davis Cup singles competition with his victory on Sunday.

Capturing an early break of serve during the third game of the fifth set, Djokovic needed six match points to defeat his formidable opponent.

Playing in his first ever Davis Cup tie, Isner put forth a tremendous effort on arguably his worst surface.

Falling to his knees after his victory, Djokovic was embraced by his teammates on court, while the 20,000 fans in the Belgrade Arena provided a standing ovation.

Djokovic’s and his competent Serbian squad will face Croatia in the quarterfinals. The powerful Croatian team defeated Ecuador 5-0.

Davis Cup Day 3 Review: Spain and Russia Make Quarterfinals

With three teams advancing to the quarterfinals of the 2010 Davis Cup World Group on Saturday, the remaining five ties (excluding the Chile-Israel tie, who will play their doubles rubber today due to a late start) would highlight Sunday’s reverse singles action.

Let’s now take a look at Sunday’s singles action.

Spain vs. Switzerland: Spain wins 3-1

Spaniard David Ferrer propelled his defending championship squad into a meeting with France in the quarterfinals after dismantling Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2, 6-4, 6-0 in two hours, 34 minutes Sunday.

Winning his seventh consecutive match, Ferrer was utterly brilliant in dispatching his formidable Swiss foe. Using his consistent two-handed backhand to move Wawrinka around the court, Ferrer struck 17 winners while winning 74 percent of his first serve points.

Breaking Wawrinka’s serve on seven of 15 occasions, Ferrer went on a rout in the third set after serving out the second set.

Improving to 13-3 in Davis Cup singles competition, Ferrer remains a perfect 9-0 when matches are contested on clay.

The scrappy Spaniard will now travel to Indian Wells, California to participate in the year’s first Masters 1000 event next week.

Nicolas Almagro, who lost to Wawrinka on Friday in the ties first match, will face Marco Chiudinelli in a meaningless fifth “dead” rubber.

The quarterfinal tie between Spain and France will take place July 9-11.

Russia vs. India: Russia wins 3-2

A day after losing the doubles rubber and a point to India, Mikhail Youzhny defeated Somdev Devvarman to boost Russia into the quarterfinal stage of this year’s world group, and a date with either Sweden or Argentina.

Youzhny, who is enjoying some the best form of his veteran career over the past six months, was efficient is dismissing Devvarman 6-2, 6-1, 6-3.

“I had to play a bit more aggressively than usual, as it’s tough to play against a guy who doesn’t miss anything,” said Youzhny. “Before the match I knew it could be a dangerous encounter because if he played his best tennis it could be very tough.”

Winning 80 percent of his first serve points, Youznhy struck 49 winners while breaking serve on six of 11 occasions. Devvarman squandered both of his break point opportunities (both in the third set), to fall to 4-5 in Davis Cup singles competition.

“I tried my heart out for every single point, and it’s just frustrating when the guy’s playing so well. I felt like I had a couple of semi chances, but I thought I made some bad decisions and I think that’s what’s frustrating,” said Devvarman.

Rohan Bopanna won the fifth and meaningless rubber against Teimuraz Gabasvili 7-6 (5), 6-4.

The results from the remaining three ties will be posted shortly.

Quotes courtesy of daviscup.com.

DC: United States Avoids Elimination

The first time team of Bob Bryan and John Isner kept the United States in contention of reaching the quarterfinal stage of the Davis Cup world group on Saturday by defeating Nenad Zimonjic and Janko Tipsarevic 7-6(8), 5-7, 7-6(8), 6-3.

Bob’s twin brother Mike became ill with food poisoning on Friday evening and was unable to play.

“Mike got room service, chicken curry, and at 3am he started to get the shakes and started to vomit, we put him on an IV, he came out to the stadium and tried to practise but shook his head as he knew he couldn’t finish a match,” Bob Bryan said. “I picked John because I wanted to back up that big serve and I think we combined pretty well.”

Bryan and Isner gutted through the three hour and six minute encounter to avoid a 3-0 defeat in Belgrade. Striking 17 winners and winning 70 percent of their first serve points, Bryan and Isner broke their opponents on two of six occasions.

The win for the United States will now put pressure on Isner to battle Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s reverse singles. If Isner can upset Djokovic then Sam Querrey will face Viktor Troicki in the deciding fifth rubber.

Quotes courtesy of daviscup.com.

DC: Djokovic Gives Serbia 2-0 Lead

World No. 2 Novak Djokovic gave the hometown fans in Belgrade, Serbia a second reason to celebrate on Friday by defeating Sam Querrey of the United States 6-2, 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-3 in Davis Cup action.

After breezing through the opening set, Djokovic fell behind 4-2 in the second set before using his off forehand and footwork to capture a two set lead.

Showing his promise as a future force on Tour, Querrey broke Djokovic twice in the third set, displaying his respectable clay-court game.

Djokovic, though, would not be denied in front of his hometown crowd, breaking Querrey’s serve once in the fourth set to send his country to a 2-0 lead.

Earlier on Friday, Viktor Troicki defeated John Isner in four sets to give Serbia a 1-0 lead.

Janko Tipsarevic and Nenad Zimonjic will battle the Bryan brothers on Saturday in third match of the weekend.

Serbia Leads United States 1-0, After Troicki Defeats Inser

Serbia vs. United States: In Serbia

World N0. 35 Viktor Troicki won an emotionally charged first rubber over world No. 20 John Isner 7-6(4), 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-4 in 3 hours and 36 minutes to give Serbia a 1-0 lead over the U.S. in Belgrade during day one action in Davis Cup.

Surviving 21 aces from Isner, Troicki squandered a break lead in the second set, which he would eventually lose in a tiebreak. Holding his mettle after the disappointment of losing of the second set, Troicki broke Isner during the 11th game of the third set to lead two sets to one.

Isner, whose worst surface is on clay, played a well thought out match but lacked considerable sting off of his backhand side which hurt him against the Serbian.

Needing four match points to close out the match, Troicki fell to his knees after a final Isner forehand went into the net.

Playing in the first Davis Cup match of his career, Isner will have a day of rest on Saturday, while hoping that he gets a second shot at victory on Sunday.

The day’s second match will pit Novak Djokovic against lanky American Sam Querrey. Djokovic, decked out in red and white, won the first set against Querrey, but trails 4-2 in the second set. For updates on the Djokovic-Querrey encounter, please check the TennisConnected live-scores section.

Saturday’s doubles rubber will feature Janko Tipsarevic and Nenad Zimonjic vs. Mike and Bob Bryan.

Exclusive Q&A with Viktor Troicki

In a recent interview given to TennisConnected.com, world No. 29 Viktor Troicki shared his outlook on the 2010 season, his upbringing in war-torn Serbia, and his day-to-day training regime.

Troicki, 23, currently resides in Belgrade, Serbia and is coached by Jan de Witt.

Troicki began the year by reaching the semifinals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open (l. Rafael Nadal), has reached two ATP World Tour finals during his four year career—the first in Washington, D.C. (2008), and the second in Bangkok, Thailand (2009).

The powerful 6′4″ right-hander has made a steady climb up the world rankings (ranked as high as No. 24 in August 2008), using his work ethic and determined demeanor to defeat the world’s best.

The witty Serbian will next see action at the Australian Open in Melbourne as a seeded competitor.

Interview by Nima Naderi:

Q. After reaching a career high of No. 24 in the world last year, what are your immediate and long term goals for 2010?

A. The goal for 2010 is to reach the top 20 at end of year. Anything better is great, [and I] feel I can do it. I have been beating guys top 20 this year so I guess it is a realistic target.

Q. At what stage in your junior development did you decide that you wanted to turn professional?

A. I took the decision when I was already 19. When the junior tournaments finished I didn’t know what to do. I had to choose between going to college in the US or trying to be a pro. I played a few tournaments to try [my luck] and soon reached the finals of a Challenger [event] (Banja Luka). After that result I thought that maybe I could have made something in tennis.

Q. Serbia was never known as a tennis nation before Novak Djokovic and yourself burst onto the scene. What factors would you attribute to Serbia’s rise as a tennis country; are there upcoming juniors in the Serbian system?

A. There is no factor in particular. We all had nothing, that’s for sure. Everybody was practicing abroad, we had zero help from anyone, zero sponsors, only our parents. Thanks to them we could practice and play tournaments and finally many of us did great!

Now tennis is really big in Serbia! They follow all our matches and it is a great thing. Finding free tennis courts in Belgrade is impossible, [and] everybody wants to play.

We have really good juniors, I think Europe’s No. 1 U14 and U16 boys are Serbians; I think girl U16 as well. They can become good players.

Q. What would you describe as the greatest adversity you faced while growing up in your tennis development?

A. It has always been really tough. I didn’t have much money to play a lot of tournaments, no coaches and I was doing everything on my own. I even had to buy racquets and gear, things that a normal player never faces in life.

Another huge problem was getting the visas. Often I wouldn’t get it on time and that made me skip tournaments.

Now life has become so much easier! But the difficult periods have made me stronger, I felt all these bad things and now I can really appreciate what I have.

Q. What fundamental changes, if any are you looking to make in your game going forward?

A. [There are] no fundamental changes [to make], I want to [play] aggressive tennis on consistent level, [with] no ups and downs. Two years ago I had a lot of ups and downs, last year it was already a lot better.

I need to stay healthy and for sure I will improve my game, especially if I get to play the top guys [more] often.

Q. In 2009 you defeated the likes of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, David Nalbandian and Tomas Berdych. What would you deem as the biggest win of your career thus far?

A. Probably beating [Novak] Djokovic when he was No. 3 (Umag, 2007), or [Andy] Roddick in Washington when he was No. 5 (2008 quarterfinals).

Maybe more the match against Roddick, because I beat him in the US, and it felt nicer.

Q. How would a normal day of training unfold for you? In terms of fitness, on-court hitting, and nutrition?

A. It [all] depends if [it's the] off season or tournament time: During training periods I normally play 3-4 hours [of] tennis [a day], [and] 1:30 to 2 hours [of] fitness.

During tournaments I do a lot less because I need to stay fresh. You can say I do maybe half of the normal stuff.

Eating in restaurants all year it’s difficult to talk [about] nutrition manners. I like most of the food, [I] don’t eat junk [food], but I don’t have a special diet.

Q. Who were your biggest tennis idols growing up, do you still ask for guidance from any current or retired players?

A. I don’t ask anyone; I don’t know most of them personally. My idol [growing up] was Andre Agassi. He was my true hero, [and] I loved everything [he did]. I had his racquets, his clothes, and copied him in everything.

Q. What would you like to accomplish before you end your career?

A. There is a lot of stuff to accomplish! I would like to be in a Grand Slam final. Of course I would like to win it, [but] it would be already great to feel the final atmosphere and to play. It is unbelievable for sure.

Q. Finally, and this a question we ask all the Touring pros, what is the strangest locker room story you can share?

A. Nothing special really that I can think of now.

Djokovic Confident About Davis Cup Chances

Ahead of a highly anticipated Davis Cup clash with the United States in March, world No. 3 Novak Djokovic believes that his Serbian team will not be the heavy underdogs.

“Davis Cup is first of all a very special competition for all of us,” said Djokovic. “We take part in an individual sport and Davis Cup is the only competition where we can feel the team spirit.”

After losing in the first round in 2008, and 2009, Djokovic was optimistic over his team’s chances against the American squad.

“The last two years we’ve had a very bad draw,” said Djokovic. “But this year we are playing at home and, even though we are playing the most successful nation in Davis Cup competition, we are confident we can make a good result.”

Djokovic will likely team up with Viktor Troicki and Janko Tipsarevic for the first round tie.

“Home advantage is a big thing in Davis Cup because then you can choose venue, you can choose surface, you can choose balls – everything that you like,” said the 22-year-old.

“The support of the crowd is very important as well. We’re going to have 20,000 people every match. The crowd loves tennis and certainly it’s going to be very interesting for them to see big stars.”

The American team will likely field Andy Roddick, the Bryan brothers, and James Blake.

The tie is set to take place in Belgrade’s Beogradska Arena from March 5-7, 2010.

Quote courtesy of daviscup.com

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