Davis Cup team prepare for Spain clash Serbia hope for champions’ faltering Author: S. Vrakela | Foto: A.Dimitrijevi/CZE) The men’s tennis team of Serbia are brimming with confidence while preparing for the Davis Cup tie against Spain in Benidorm. Although the hosts are odds on favourites ahead of the clash, the Davis Cup has produced upsets year after year and Serbia are hoping to create one against the competition’s title holders on their own turf. The backroom staff, led by head coach Bogdan Obradovic and advisor Nikola Pilic, have scrutinized the strengths and weaknesses of their opposition and come to a conclusion that Serbia stand solid chances in the tie that is scheduled for next weekend. - “Spain are by far the most formidable opposition in this competition, as they won the Davis Cup last season and without the help of the world’s number one Rafael Nadal. Still, my experience tells me that whatever is written on paper has to be confirmed on the court, where the better team take the win, not the one with more trophies. We’ve come to Benidorm to take the game to Spain and we have the right to hope for the best,” says Pilic. The fine form of Serbia’s top duo Novak Djokovic and Viktor Troicki (who won trophies in Dubai and Belgrade respectively) will be a major boost for the Serbia camp. - “By winning the ATP title in Dubai, Djokovic has shown he is returning to his best form and that his confidence is back, which will be a major uplift for the entire team. Viktor Troicki’s form is also on a rise, while Janko Tipsarevic is lacking some small details in order to improve himself and start climbing the ATP rankings. As for Nenad Zimonjic, we all know that he is among the world’s best doubles players,” says Obradovic. The hosts’ choice of playing surface has not surprised the Serbia team. - “Nadal can’t have wanted this kind of surface. The court is concrete underneath the clay, it’s extremely hard and the ball bounces really high. The clay itself slows it down a bit, but the balls are also hard and quick. This tie will certainly not be a typical clay-court encounter,” Obradovic speaks his mind. According to some predictions, the doubles rubber may prove to be the crucial match of the tie between Spain and Serbia. Last season Spain were virtually invincible in that element, with the partnership of Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco dominating the doubles. Given that Verdasco is out through injury, the match may swing to Serbia. - “They have so far played out the pair of Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco, but the latter is now injured, so there will be some changes. We have the standard lineup with Zimonjic and Djokovic, who have proved they fit together perfectly. However, if Novak has an exhausting encounter beforehand in the singles, we may opt to substitute him with either Tipsarevic or Troicki,” says Obradovic. The debutant coach of the Spain team, Albert Costa, is in a delicate situation where he has the job of living up to the last year’s success. Spain has won the Davis Cup on three occasions, while on the previous two when they were defending the trophy, the Red Fury were knocked out in the first round. - “I think the public in our country are not aware of the strength of our opposition and have unjustly underestimated them. You don’t have to go into any deep analyses, just take a look at their ATP rankings positions and the trophies they have won. I would be perfectly content with the minimal-margin win in the tie against Serbia,” says Costa. Costa believes he knows who Serbia will select for the tie. - “It is to be expected that the second singles player is Janko Tipsarevic and not Viktor Troicki, although the latter is in a great form. I think Janko ’s experience will be key here, while we all know how unpredictable he is and on a good day capable of beating anyone. We will respond to all those qualities with Rafael Nadal, who needs no special introduction, David Ferrer and Tommy Robredo, who are both in excellent form and know how to play these matches,” says Costa. Meanwhile, Ferrer has said his Dubai final defeat to Serbia’s Novak Djokovic has not damaged his confidence ahead of the international tie. - “We all know that Djokovic is a terrific player. He is the world’s number three, after all. What matters to me is that I played well in Dubai and that’ s exactly how I feel now. It will not be easy against Serbia, but we hope that we will manage to win, aided by our home fans,” says Ferrer. http://www.blic.rs/sports.php?id=3993 -- ∫Beauty Will Save The World∫ http://JankoTipsarevic.pixnet.net/album --

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