Serbia likely to win; led by Novak Djokovic the juggernaut – Davis Cup 2011
Serbia for the first time competed in the Davis Cup as an independent nation in 2007 and won its first Davis Cup title in 2010. From 1927 to 2003 Serbia competed as Yugoslavia and later from 2003 to 2006 as Serbia & Montenegro.
According to ITF top 25 Rankings as of March 7, 2011 Serbia is ranked second in the nation rankings.
With the number one seed Djokovic lined up for the quarter final with Sweden, Team Serbia has the potential to repeat the feat this year and win the title second year in a row. Under the captaincy of Bogdan Obradovic, Serbia brings
a strong line-up for the quarterfinal match
Leading the team as their highest ranked player is the newly crowned world number one, Novak “Djoker” Djokovic. Born on 22nd may 1987, Djoker is an all court player with emphasis on aggressive baseline play. His ground
strokes from both wings are consistent, deep, and penetrating. His backhand is widely regarded as one of the best in today's game. His best weapon is his backhand hit down the line, with great pace and precision. He is also known as one of the greatest movers
on the court with superior agility, court coverage and defensive ability. An unstoppable force in 2011, Djokovic has eight titles in the season so far which include two Grand Slam titles and four Masters titles. The Serb is the team’s strongest player and
is expected to destroy his opponents in his singles rubbers.
Following the Serb in the line-up is the Serbian number two, Viktor Troicki. Born on 10th February 1986, Troicki is a right-handed player. His current ranking in singles is 16 and 77th in doubles. Serbia’s
only loss in round one against India earlier in the year came because of Troicki as he lost his rubber against Rohan Bopanna. However, Troicki redeemed himself with a win over Somdev Devvarman in his second rubber. A young and energetic player, Troicki is
expected to shine against Sweden.
Another strong singles player in the line-up is the right-handed player, Janko Tipsarevic. He is a strong player and has lot of experience of playing against a lot of current and former top ten players namely Andy Roddick, Fernando
Gonzalez, Mikhail Youzhny, David Ferrer, James Blake, Gael Monfils, Andy Murray and Tomas Berdych. The most memorable part of his career was his third round match at the 2008 Australian Open where faced Roger Federer and lost. In his career, he has won two
Futures and nine tournaments from ATP Challenger Series.
The only doubles specialist in the team is the current world number six in doubles, Nenad Zimonjic. Born on the 4th of June 1976, Zimonjic has been a member of the Serbian Davis Cup team since 1995 and has played both
singles and doubles. The experience under his belt is tidal and has a great chance to score against Sweden.
The Serbs being the defending champions are likely to put up a good show, especially with two players ranking in the top 20. Serbia has not lost since 2009 first round defeat at the hands of Spain in Benidorm and they will be keen
not to slip up on the indoor court in Halmstad.
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