WATCH: Tennis machine Novak Djokovic back on court just days after winning US Open

Davis Cup
Novak Djokovic takes a moment to relax

Novak Djokovic was back on court on Wednesday practicing in the red of Serbia mere days after he lifted a record-breaking 24th Grand Slam title.

It has been a rollercoaster few months for Djokovic as back in July some commentators questioned whether or not it was the beginning of the end for the tennis great after he lost the Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz.

However, he has returned with a vengeance as he beat the same Alcaraz in a classic final at the Cincinnati Open in mid-August and then just over three weeks later he wiped all before him to win a fourth US Open title, defeating Daniil Medvedev in straight sets in the final on Sunday.

He enjoyed a couple of whirlwind days with several interviews and PR commitments, but it was no surprise that the tennis machine that is Djokovic didn’t waste too much time before returning to a tennis court.

By Tuesday evening he was back in his native Serbia and joined the country’s basketball team during a homecoming ceremony in Belgrade.

On Wednesday he teamed up with the Serbia squad in Valencia, Spain, for their Davis Cup Group stage clashes and he didn’t waste any time to get back on court.

Serbia kicked off their campaign against South Korea on Wednesday and they claimed an emphatic 3-0 win despite Djokovic skipping the opening rubber.

Dusan Lajovic secured a 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) win over Hong Seong-chan before Laslo Djere battled to a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Kwon Soon-woo for an unassailable 2-0 lead. Nikola Cacic and Miomir Kecmanovic then teamed up to claim a three-set win in the doubles.

It was the best possible start for Serbia as they have tougher assignments coming up – although Djokovic will give them a big boost. They will face hosts Spain on Friday before taking on the Czech Republic on Saturday.

The top two teams in the group will qualify for the Davis Cup Finals in November.

World No 1 Djokovic has made it clear that his major goal for the remainder of 2023 is to help Serbia to win a second Davis Cup title following their previous success in 2010.

“Davis Cup is my priority until the end of the season,” he said in the aftermath of his US Open title win.

The 36-year-old didn’t compete in the team tournament last year as they were knocked out in the group stage while in 2022 they reached the semi-final. Serbia last reached the final in 2013 when they finished runners-up to the Czech Republic.

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Novak Djokovic

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