Belgrade (AFP)
Serbia's Novak Djokovic, world No.1, will compete with his compatriots in the Davis Cup, which will be contested in his new formula from 18 to 24 November in Madrid, said Monday the Serbian Tennis Federation.
In group A, Serbia will face France, finalist of the last edition, and Japan.
"We have fantastic news: Novak will participate in the final tournament in Madrid, I had the opportunity to talk to him in New York", where the Serb arrived to defend his title at the US Open, Serbia coach Nenad Zimonjic was quoted as saying in a statement.
"It's a huge reinforcement with Novak and I'm very happy to see him join the team after a long absence," said Zimonjic.
Novak Djokovic, 32, had not shown overwhelming enthusiasm about the new Davis Cup formula, even though his lawyers explained that one of the goals was to regain the support of the best players.
He said in October that he was "not sure" of his participation. "I feel that the date of the Davis Cup is really bad, especially for the best players," said then "Nole".
The Serb was last aligned for the Davis Cup selection in April 2017, when Serbia qualified for the semi-finals by beating Spain (4-1) in Belgrade.
Serbia won the Silver Bowl of the Davis Cup in 2010 by beating France in Belgrade and played in the final against the Czech Republic three years later.
The Serbs will play their first match in Madrid against Japan on 20 November, before facing France the next day.
Before the Davis Cup, Djokovic is expected to play the London Masters, whose final is scheduled for November 17, according to the release.
In the new format of the Davis Cup, the first of each of the six groups and the two best second (ratio ratio and ratio) will qualify for the quarter-finals. The matches will be played in the best of three matches (two singles and one doubles) in two winning sets.
© 2019 AFP