In 2010, 23-year-old Novak Djokovic was a rising star on the tennis court. He was already a grand slam champion, but the best of the Serbian was yet to come. His season included losses in the quarterfinals of major grand slams, and yet, the world no. 3 at the time was looked on as a major contributor to his national team’s chances of winning the Davis Cup.
Since that year, the maverick stalwart has risen leaps and bounds in the sport, rising to a legendary status. His passion for his country hasn’t waned, though, and he is set to represent his nation at the 2023 Davis Cup. Now, at the age of 36, Novak Djokovic is still looking as much of a threat as he did in his younger days and will look to lead Serbia to Davis Cup glory.
Novak Djokovic shifts focus to new challenge after US Open success
On the back of a stellar victory at the US Open, Novak Djokovic has made his priorities clear to the media. He said winning the Davis Cup with Serbia was his “priority” for the rest of the 2023 season.
Djokovic flew to Spain to join the rest of the Serbian squad as their captain. They are set to face Spain in the Pabellón Fuente de San Luis indoor arena in Valencia, Spain. Should Serbia win the tie, which they currently lead 2-1, they would book their and the Czech Republic’s flights to the knockout stages in Malaga. A loss would boot Spain out of the tournament.
“My priority will be winning the Davis Cup. I hope it will come step by step. The first step was taken without me by winning against South Korea with 3:0 two days ago,” Djokovic said.
“I came here to contribute to the overall triumph of Serbia. The goal is to qualify for the final tournament in Malaga and to go where we didn’t play last year,” he added.
Djokovic ended up in Valencia as the only top-10 player on the ATP circuit. His participation, mere days after a momentous title win, led Feliciano Lopez, director of the Davis Cup, to praise the 24-time grand slam champion.
“He won the 24th Grand Slam title and immediately came to play for his national team. This is how this competition is respected; Novak is the best example. We are very grateful that he came, but it is also important that people see what the Davis Cup means to the players and to the world of tennis.” Lopez said.
Djokovic helped Serbia win first Davis Cup title in 2010
Novak Djokovic played a major role in Serbia’s 2010 Davis Cup title win. He contributed heavily on the road to the final, as his singles’ victories over the United States, Croatia, and Czech Republic paved the way for Serbia to contest the concluding tie.
In the final, Serbia struggled initially and found themselves 1-2 down to France. It was then that Novak Djokovic rose to the occasion and delivered spectacular wins against Gilles Simon and Gael Monfils to turn the tide in his country’s favour. Viktor Troicki won the last match to ensure glory for the European nation.
In a promise made in case of a Davis Cup victory, all players in the squad( including Djokovic) shaved their hair off.
The victory was Serbia’s only Davis Cup title win and, at that point, they were the 13th nation overall to attain success. They managed to reach the final the following year but were defeated by they Czech Republic.
Novak Djokovic will be looking to bring back glory to his nation. The initial challenge would be to overcome a Carlos Alcaraz-less Spain before going on to overcome other nations. How much are you looking forward to seeing the Serbian lift the trophy for the second time ever? Let us know in the comments section below.
