World number one Novak Djokovic of Serbia will be competing at the China Open 2013 doubles event with good friend Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland. Djokovic rarely competely in doubles competition and has just contested one doubles match this season, an opening round loss in Dubai with younger brother Marko.
Djokovic and Wawrinka will be facing tough opponents in the first round, against number two seeds Mahesh Bhupathi and Robert Lindstedt.
“I miss [doubles] in a way because I think it brings a lot of positives to my game and also to my confidence because it’s the opportunity to have this kind of a team spirit on the court in a way, because you’re always alone, so when you play doubles, you get to share the court with your partner, and also work on things like serve and return,” Djokovic told reporters in Beijing. “I look forward to it.”
Djokovic is also competing in the singles competition. The Serbian enters the China Open as the defending champion and needs to win the title in order to have a chance of keeping the top ranking. World number two Rafael Nadal can reclaim the world number one ranking by reaching the final of the hardcourt ATP 500 event in Beijing.
