Novak Djokovic has shown his intention to compete over the next month, after being announced as part of the Serbian Davis Cup team and also looks set to play the Shanghai Masters tournament for the first time in five years.
Djokovic is coming off the back of his worst Grand Slam performance since 2017, after losing in the third round of the US Open to Alexei Popyrin.
However, it does not appear that Djokovic will be dwelling on that defeat for too long after being announced as part of Serbia’s team for their Davis Cup tie against Greece.
Serbia did not qualify for the Davis Cup Finals for the first time since the competitions revamp back in 2019, after suffering a heavy defeat to Slovakia back in February in a tie that Djokovic was not involved in.
This means that Serbia were demoted to Group I, where they will take on Greece for a chance to return back to the top division next year.
Djokovic will be alongside Miomir Kecmanovic, Dusan Lajovic and Hamad Medjedovic, taking on a Greek lineup led by two-time Grand Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas in Belgrade.
This tie will take place over the weekend of 14th and 15th September, with Djokovic set to return to action just over two weeks later at the Shanghai Masters.
Djokovic is a record four-time champion in Shanghai, but has not competed at the tournament since 2019.
Upon the announcement of his entry into the tournament, Djokovic spoke of his excitement to return to.China, “I can’t wait. I’m super excited to see my Chinese fans, all the tennis fans. It’s one of the nicest tennis tournaments in the world. Five years has been too long to not visit China, so I’m really looking forward to [it].”
The Shanghai Masters take place between Wednesday 2nd October and Sunday 13th October.
Inside the baseline…
In some ways it is surprising to see Novak Djokovic involved in a Davis Cup tie after his nation did not qualify for the finals. However, at the same time everyone knows how much representing Serbia means to Djokovic and especially at his home of Belgrade. This passion was probably even more ignited when Djokovic finally won an Olympic gold medal in Paris last month. It is also interesting that Djokovic has played Stefanos Tsitsipas in two Grand Slam finals and now they are set to go head-to-head in a Group I Davis Cup match.
