When will Novak Djokovic be back on court after his US Open win?
Novak Djokovic was overcome with emotion as he claimed his 24th Grand Slam title at the US Open on Sunday, but he won’t have too much time to recover from his latest moment of glory.
Djokovic secured a magnificent 24th Grand Slam title when he beat Medvedev in three gruelling sets to win the US Open.
The 36-year-old capped another dominant year, during which he won the Australian and French Opens and was runner-up to Alcaraz at Wimbledon, by becoming the oldest champion at Flushing Meadows in the Open era.
Djokovic often takes a break after winning a major title, but he will have not time for such a luxury this week and he is set to play for Serbia in the Davis Cup in Valencia.
Carlos Alcaraz’s decision to pull out of the matches in Spain means we will not get a Djokovic vs Alcaraz re-match in the team event, yet Serbia coach Miomir Kecmanovic is ready to welcome his star man into the team.
The world No 1 is scheduled to travel to Valencia and join the Serbia team for ties with South Korea, Spain and Czech Republic, although he is likely to feature only in the final two clashes.
“We can’t wait to have him for Friday,” Kecmanovic told a news conference.
“It definitely takes a little bit of the pressure off since he always carried the team so well.
“Our focus is to get through Tuesday, hopefully get the win and then start a little bit more relaxed on Friday.
“We know what to expect this year. Each team has its own strengths.
“I guess Spain is the No 1 contender besides us, but the other two teams have some amazing players also, so here when you play two singles and one doubles with the doubles potentially deciding everything, it’s anybody’s game.
“Everybody is ready to show their best and, hopefully, this time we can go to Malaga for the final.”
Spain coach David Ferrer admits his side will be significantly weakened by Alcaraz’s absence, after the 20-year-old decided to ‘listen to his body’ and rest after a hectic few months of action.
“It was tough because Carlos is an important player – one of the best players in the world. But, I trust my team,” said Ferrer.
“I am very confident that we can do a great week and can compete with everyone.”
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Marcel Granollers and Roberto Bautista Agut will lead the Spain team, in what is set to be a thrilling series of matches in Valencia.
DAVIS CUP EXPLAINER
Sixteen nations have earned the right to participate in the Finals Group Stage, which is taking place across four European cities – Bologna, Manchester, Split and Valencia – this week.
The 16 nations are divided into four groups and will compete in a round-robin format. The top two teams in each group after the round-robin will advance to the Final 8 where they will have the chance to be crowned world champions in the men’s world cup of tennis.
The competing nations are:
Group A: Canada, Italy, Sweden, Chile
Group B: Australia, Great Britain, France, Switzerland
Group C: Spain, Serbia, Czechia, Korea, Rep.
Group D: Croatia, Netherlands, USA, Finland
READ MORE: Carlos Alcaraz has his say on Novak Djokovic’s historic US Open win
