Kraljevo, Serbia (SportsNetwork.com) – World No. 1 great Novak Djokovic will
play in Friday’s opening singles rubber in the best-of-five opening-round
Davis tie between host Serbia and Croatia.
The reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon champ will open up against Croat
Mate Delic on an indoor hardcourt at Kraljevo Sports Centre.
The 27-year-old eight-time Grand Slam champion is 26-7 in his career Davis Cup
singles and led the Serbs to their lone championship in 2010. Serbia was also
a runner-up in 2013.
Djokovic-Delic will be followed Friday by a match between resurgent Serb
Viktor Troicki and rising young 18-year-old Croat Borna Coric.
Saturday’s doubles call for Troicki and Nenad Zimonjic to face a Croatian
tandem of Marin Draganja and Franko Skugor, while Sunday’s reverse singles
have Djokovic taking on the 61st-ranked Coric and the No. 41 Troicki meeting
the 158th-ranked Delic.
Bogdan Obradovic captains Serbia, while Croatia is guided by Zeljko Krajan.
Serbia and 2005 titlist Croatia have a long political history, but they have
only met once in Davis Cup since the division of Yugoslavia in the early
1990s. The Serbs got the better of that clash in 2010.
The winner in Kraljevo will face the Argentina-Brazil victor in a quarterfinal
in July.
