Davis Cup 2011: World Group, Serbia vs. India
Serbia, top seed and defending champion, takes on the Indian tennis contingent in its first round match at the Davis Cup, 2011. The tie is being held in the Serbian city of Novi Sad and is scheduled to be contested on indoor hard courts at the Spens Sports Center.
Despite the absence of world no.3 Novak Djokovic, Serbia are fielding a strong team in the first round of this iteration of the contest. Leading them into the fray is World no.18 Viktor Troicki. The 25-year-old has been part of Serbia’s team since 2008 and was instrumental in getting them the trophy last year. His last Davis Cup match was against France’s Michael Llodra during last year’s final, a contest he won in straight sets.
Alongside Troicki is the 25-year-old from Belgrade, Janko Tipsarevic. Tipsarevic is ranked 45 in the ATP singles World Rankings and this year shall be his 11th year competing for his country in the Davis Cup. A veteran of the tournament, his two wins in the semi-final stage last year against Czechs Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek were vital in getting Serbia to the final. Although he lost his last match to the much higher ranked Gael Monfils, he was an integral part of the Serbian team none the less.
Nenad Zimonjic, the fourth best doubles player in the world, serves as Serbia’s doubles specialist this year. He has been representing his country at the tournament since 1995, and as such is one of the most senior players in the contest. So far in his 15 year long Davis cup career, he has won 23 doubles matches and lost only 8. While 2 of those 8 losses came in his last two matches, Zimonjic is still a fearsome doubles opponent. Who is partner shall be is up to the Serbian Captain, Bogdan Obradovic, but both Troicki and Tipsarevic are able doubles players who shall complement the veteran well.
Coming to the Indian team, we see a full-strength squadron led by Somdev Devvarman, the world no. 93. Captain Shiv-Prakash Misra’s first pick, the 26-year-old from Assan has been representing India since 2008. Notable moments in his Davis Cup career include a win over the Brazilian no.1 Thomaz Bellucci last year, as well as an incredible 5 set loss to Ricardo Mello during the same rubber. Devvarman has been playing wonderful tennis recently and has been appearing in top-level ATP events more and more.
Supporting Somdev is Karan Rastogi, world no. 285. Rastogi has been a participant in the Davis Cup since 2007. In all his time here, he has never won a singles match. As such, he is not expected to be a heavy influence in any of the matches.
Yuki Bhambri has a similar status. As world no.504, he is probably no match for any of the players on the Serbian team. Moreover, this shall be only his second tie in the Davis Cup. No expectations of greatness are being heaped on the 19-year-old, and justifiably so.
Last on India’s team is perhaps their best hope for surviving this round. Rohan Bopanna is the World no.19 in the ATP doubles rankings and actually has two singles victories from last year. He beat Ricardo Mello last year in straight sets, and some of that form might be instrumental in helping India progress past the much-favored Serbian team.
As might be obvious, India is the heavy underdog in this encounter. There is a high chance that Serbia will go into this tie with one man short and still come out on top. Troicki and Tipsarevic provide substantial singles’ skill, while Zimonjic is the perfect foil to any heroics Bopanna might attempt.
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