Serbia’s rise to prominence has been rapid. They have two women in the world’s top 20 and three top-50 ranked men, four years after the country became independent. If a maiden Davis Cup triumph would confirm Serbia as a tennis powerhouse, then its figurehead, regardless of the result in Belgrade next week, is Novak Djokovic.
The world number three is the outstanding player on show according to most tennis online betting pundits. He is a talisman who will be the focal point of the Belgrade crowd’s raucous support. He is in decent form having reached the semi finals at the ATP World Tour finals and won the China Open. His US Open semi final win over Roger Federer is fresh in the memory.
The home favourite is therefore easy to back in his two singles rubbers, especially in his opener against Gilles Simon. Djokovic holds a 5-1 career head-to-head record against Simon, with the five wins coming from the last five meetings.
Djokovic’s record is even better against Gael Monfils, who he faces in the potentially pivotal fourth rubber of the final. Monfils has lost each of their five previous encounters, every one of which was an important match (three Grand Slam clashes, one Paris Masters final and an Olympics quarter final).
This leads davis cup tennis online betting to suggest Djokovic that is better equipped to deal with the pressure of a Davis Cup final, especially as at Flushing Meadows this year he proved wrong the critics who doubt his heart for the battle. Djokovic’s recovery in the first round from two sets down to beat Davis Cup team-mate Viktor Troicki was something he might not have done in previous years.
Four years ago Djokovic was famously courted by the LTA as a possible recruit to Great Britain’s struggling Davis Cup team. Djokovic is unlikely to have ever regretted his decision to stay with Serbia – two more singles victories in a Serbian win will be the reward for staying loyal before he made the big time.
