Novak Djokovic has admitted that Serbia’s Davis Cup tie against Great Britain is “really open” after preparing by playing doubles at the Rolex Paris Masters. The world No 1 previously named Dan Evans as a big threat to his team’s chances but the Brit has since withdrawn injured. Djokovic is still concerned about his nation’s fate in the doubles, however, as he confessed that Britain were the “strong favourites” in the final match and shared his hopes to get the job done in singles.
Djokovic made a winning return in Paris-Bercy as he linked up with Miomir Kecmanovic on the doubles court, defeating alternates Gonzalo Escobar and Aleksandr Nedovyesov 6-4 6-2. The 24-time Grand Slam champion drew attention when he signed up to the doubles draw but he has since admitted that the move was done purely with the Davis Cup in mind as Serbia looks to find a strong pairing.
“Yes it is,” Djokovic said in Paris when asked whether his partnership with Kecmanovic was formed with the team event in mind. “Actually it’s the main reason why we are playing here is trying to prepare for Davis Cup and have another I guess doubles pair, doubles combination that we can rely on.”
And the 36-year-old knew that having a strong doubles team would be of extra importance in Serbia’s upcoming Davis Cup quarter-final tie against Britain, as the GB team currently boasts current doubles world No 3 Neal Skupski. Djokovic continued: “Obviously not ideal for the format of the Davis Cup that we have nowadays where it’s really decisive.”
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