The two best players in the world will be missing from their national teams in the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup in Belgrade this weekend. However, while Andy Murray’s absence as a player can be attributed to the physical rigours of winning Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic, who might not even be at the event, would seem to be suffering a deeper malady.
Great Britain, the defending champions, were greatly lifted by Murray’s arrival on Thursday, although they will miss him as a player for the first time in three years. He won 11 Cup matches on the spin last year to lead Great Britain to their first title in 79 years.
However, it is still unclear why Djokovic, the world No1, is not playing for Serbia in his home town – especially as he has always been such a proud patriot and attributed his rise on the Tour to Serbia’s breakthrough Davis Cup win in 2009. “This is our biggest success as individuals, as a team, as a country,” he said at the time. “We are not even aware of what we have done.”
Rumours of recent off-court troubles – quickly discounted by friends – swept the media centre after the Serb lost to the American Sam Querrey in the third round at Wimbledon two Saturdays ago. Djokovic hinted at an injury but refused to elaborate. What was apparent was he had “crashed” mentally after winning his first French Open the month before, to put himself in line for a calendar slam.
Murray said after beating Milos Raonic in straight sets on Sunday to win his second Wimbledon title that he doubted he would be able to quickly and safely make the transition from grass to clay – particularly as he then has to move back to hard court for the Rio Olympics, which start on 5 August.
“He’s gutted not to be playing,” the team captain, Leon Smith, said after the draw on Thursday pitched Kyle Edmund against the experienced Janko Tipsarevic in the first rubber on Friday.
“He loves Davis Cup, he loves this team, he loves his team-mates plus all the support staff we’ve got. All of us are really pumped by the fact that he wants to come out and support the team from the sidelines; it gives us a big boost.”
Murray chatted with Smith as Edmund and James Ward hit with coaches Nick Weal and Colin Beecher but the 29-year-old was otherwise happy to take a back seat. He said: “I am not here to coach any of the guys, just try to help where I can. There’s been obviously a number of ties where the guys that are here helped me a bunch and helped the rest of the team out, so if there’s anything they need me or want me to do [I’ll do it].
“I’m not going to start telling anybody what to do. If anyone wants to ask me anything I will try and help wherever I can and just support the team.”
In preparation for the defence of his London Olympic gold medal, Murray will play in the Rogers Cup in Toronto, starting on 23 July. Raonic is in the draw – as is Djokovic.
In his last public appearance, before rushing away from the All England Club understandably devastated by losing to 28th seed Querrey, Djokovic said: “I have a family and I have a life outside of tennis. I just need some rest, to get away from tennis.”
Djokovic told the Guardian a week before Wimbledon began that he had “not made a commitment” to play Davis Cup in the city where he was born, and where he still has friends and business interests. Whatever his other troubles, clearly he had already suffered mentally after winning in Paris.
Serbia are also missing their second-best player, Viktor Troicki, which takes the shine off the contest but might make Great Britain slight favourites.
In the second singles on Friday, Ward plays the hosts’ No1, Dusan Lajovic. In Saturday’s doubles, Jamie Murray and Dom Inglot will play Tipsarevic and Nenad Zimonjic, a specialist in the discipline.
