Novak Djokovic arrives in Belgrade on Thursday hoping to practice for the first time since winning the U.S. Open on Monday night. Djokovic is scheduled to open Serbia's Davis Cup semifinal against Argentina on Friday against David Nalbandian, but DavisCup.com reports that he may opt out. Davis Cup rules state that once a player has been nominated at the draw ceremony, he has to play on the opening day unless he can produce a medical certificate from the independent tie doctor showing he is unable to play.
Djokovic made use of the rule last year after he also played a Monday night final at the U.S. Open. He was nominated to play Friday against the Czechs, but then caught a virus, pulled out and didn’t play until Saturday. If he does not play, Victor Troicki will replace Djokovic. Janko Tipsarevic will face Juan Martin del Potro in the second match.
"We’ll see how he feels," Troicki said. "If he's not that great, I'll be definitely ready to play the first match against Nalbandian. Last year I found out three hours before the match that I would play, but this time I'm aware that he might not play if he's not right."
Argentine captain Tito Vazquez told DavisCup.com that he selected the oft-injured Nalbandian over Juan Monaco or Juan Ignacio Chela because, “David has been a main feature for Argentina in Davis Cup for the last few years, he's a real ‘Cup’ player, he's been trying quite hard to come back on the circuit, he played an excellent first set against Nadal in the U.S. Open, and he's a player who's capable of beating anybody, so that's why we chose him."