NEW DELHI: Novak Djokovic secured a Davis Cup quarter-final berth for Serbia in Valencia, Spain on Friday, achieving this feat just five days after winning the US Open title.
The world number one had a comfortable 6-3, 6-4 victory against Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, granting his country an insurmountable 2-0 lead. Earlier in the day, Laslo Djere had won against Albert Ramos-Vinolas.
This appearance marked Djokovic's return to the team competition, as he hadn't played in the Davis Cup since Serbia's semi-final loss to Croatia in 2021.
The 36-year-old Djokovic had recently secured his 24th Grand Slam title, equalling the record, by winning the US Open with a straight-set triumph over Daniil Medvedev in the final.
Djokovic claimed the first set against Davidovich Fokina with a single break in the eighth game, and in the second set, he made an impressive comeback from being 4-1 down, winning five consecutive games.
Serbia has now secured a place in the knockout phase, scheduled to take place in Malaga in November. They achieved this by defeating South Korea 3-0 earlier in the week. Notably, Djokovic played a pivotal role in Serbia's only previous Davis Cup title win in 2010.
(With AFP inputs)
