GB aiming to stop Djokovic & Serbia at Davis Cup

A Serbian team led by Novak Djokovic, who believes that winning the Davis Cup is “important” for his country, is the target of Great Britain’s ongoing quest for glory.

From 15:00 GMT, the tie in Malaga, Spain, will be broadcast live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

“I really hope Serbia wins the Davis Cup.” That’s a goal, declared 36-year-old Djokovic.

Britain, who last won the trophy in 2015, reached the Davis Cup knockout stages with a thrilling victory over France in September.

The knockout round, also known as the “Final Eight,” begins on Tuesday when Canada and Finland, the defending champions, face off.

The Czech Republic will face Australia on Wednesday, while Italy and the Netherlands face off on Thursday. Australia finished second last year.

The 123-year-old men’s team event champions will be determined in the showpiece on Sunday after the semi-finals, which will take place on Friday and Saturday.

After injury blows, Britain needs to double its depth.

The same five-man squad that made it to the knockout stage was initially named by Great Britain, but they have since lost Evans, who was crucial to their rise from the group stage, and former world champion Murray.

Leon Smith will now have a clear team choice, barring any further unforeseen injury concerns.

Rising star Jack Draper will likely face Laslo Djere before Cameron Norrie, the British number one, faces Djokovic in a best-of-three tie that will feature two singles matches and possibly deciding doubles.

Neal Skupski and Joe Salisbury, two doubles specialists, will attempt to advance Britain to the semifinals if the games are split.

Skupski, who won the Wimbledon men’s doubles title this year, has forged a fruitful partnership with Evans for Great Britain, including winning a tense group-stage decider against France that secured the nation’s place in Malaga.

Salisbury was selected to fill Evans’ absence due to a calf injury and enters the competition having won the doubles championship at the ATP Finals in Turin on Sunday.

Djokovic, the dominant, aims for another prize.

Djokovic enters the Davis Cup Finals with the intention of capping another extraordinary season with greater team success despite being in the final stages of his career. His abilities are showing little signs of waning.

Djokovic’s only loss at a major came in the Wimbledon final, but he won three of the four Grand Slam singles titles this year.

On Sunday, the world number one further underlined his dominance by rounding off the tour season with a record seventh title at the ATP Finals in Turin.

With Serbia, who won the Davis Cup for the first and only time in 2010, Djokovic is now aiming for another trophy.

“This week is significant for our country and for us. We’ll try our hardest, Djokovic promised.

Who else is performing?

At the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena on Tuesday, holders Canada will face Finland in a knockout tournament.

Led by 29th-ranked Felix Auger-Aliassime, they are aiming to ensure both team titles in the sport remain in Canadian hands after their female counterparts won the Billie Jean King Cup this month.

According to Auger-Aliassime, “every time we come together as a team, we always believe we can win.”

“Compared to the rest of the tour, this tournament is different.” Because of this, Davis Cup occasionally surprises you. An energy exists.

We must arrive with the same level of confidence in you and your team, no matter what happens throughout the year.

After failing to advance past Group C in September, hosts Spain was disqualified from the Final Eight. The United States, which has won 32 times, also fell short after falling to Finland in their final Group D tie.

The Davis Cup Finals are available where?

You can follow live scores, see the results and read the best stories from the six-day event on the BBC Sport tennis page.

Great Britain will compete in the semifinals on Saturday at 11:00 GMT if they win. On BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app, viewers could watch the tie.

Whether or not GB are involved, the BBC will provide live coverage of the final, which will take place on Sunday at 15:00.

Source: BBC