Belgian Davis Cup captain Johan Van Herck says David Goffin’s failure to serve out the match in his five-set defeat to Serbia’s Victor Troicki essentially killed his country's chances of winning. Goffin lost a two-set lead in the opening match of the tie, which Serbia went on to sweep, 3-0.
“It’s a tough loss because it changed the whole tie,” Van Herck told Davis Cup.com. “It was a must-win if you see how Novak [Djokovic] plays, it always was.”
Djokovic took a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win over Olivier Rochus following that match. The Belgian veteran, who had last played the world No. 1 in 2011, said he was overwhelmed by his Djokovic’s serve.
“He improved his serve so much, the return, I didn’t know where to stand or what to do. He was putting ever serve in around 200 (kilometers per hour) with so much spin and angle and close to the line. I’ve never been so ridiculous on return of serve. He showed me why he’s No. 1.”