Novak Djokovic had one mission at the start of the year and that was to reclaim his No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings after Andy Murray replaced him at the end of 2016. The Serbian started off 2017 really well as he defeated Murray in the finals of the Qatar Open but since then his performances have not been up to the mark.
Djokovic then went on to lose in the second round of the Australian Open to Denis Istomin and then lost to Nick Kyrgios twice, first in the quarter finals of the Mexican Open and then round of 16 of the Indian wells. While the Serb has struggled in the major tournaments in 2017, he has continued his impressive performance for his country in the Davis Cup.
Serbia recently defeated Spain to reach the semifinal of the Davis Cup where they will face France from September 15-17. Djokovic has been crucial for the Serbian team as they look to win the tournament for the first time since 2013. However, this clash come just five days after the US Open in New York but Djokovic said he will definitely do his best to be there.
The Serb also said France will be determined and very motivated to avenge their loss from the 2010 final when they squandered a 2-1 lead to lose 3-2.
"From your mouth to God's ears, I'll do my best to be there. I'll do my best to be available for the semifinals. We appreciate playing for our country, we wish that we get the strongest team and to fight with them," Tennis World USA quoted Djokovic as saying.
"They have been a successful team in Davis Cup, many of their players improve in this competition thanks to the federation´ help. I am sure that they will be extra motivated, they have not been winning a title for a long time and I think they still remember the 2010 final in Belgrade."
Following a strong showing in the Davis Cup for Serbia, Djokovic will also be looking to get his 2017 Season back on track. He is expected to get back to training for the clay court season soon and will be hoping to gain some valuable ATP ranking points and close the gap on Murray. The Serb suffered an early exit in Monte Carlo last season to Jiri Vesely and will be hoping for a much better showing this season.
´I am looking forward to Monte Carlo, this week I had good feelings on court and off-court, national team duty always gives me an extra boost´, Djokovic said.
Check out the highlights from the Serbia vs Spain Davis Cup match.
