In 2012, Spain was missing Rafael Nadal and lost the Davis Cup final to the Czech Republic. Fast forward 365 days and the Czechs are again contesting the title tie against an undermanned opponent.
Serbia may not be dealing with an absence of Nadal’s magnitude, but it is without both Viktor Troicki and Janko Tipsarevic. Troicki is serving a drug-related suspension and Tipsarevic, who is 1-5 in his last six matches, is sidelined with a heel injury.
Czech Republic vs. Serbia
Where: Belgrade, Serbia
Surface: Indoor hard
Czech Republic: Tomas Berdych, Radek Stepanek, Lukas Rosol, Jan Hajek
Serbia: Novak Djokovic, Dusan Lajovic, Nenad Zimonjic, Ilija Bozoljac
Draw
Radek Stepanek vs. Novak Djokovic
Tomas Berdych vs. Dusan Lajovic
Jan Hajek and Lukas Rosol vs. Ilija Bozoljac and Nenad Zimonjic
Tomas Berdych vs. Novak Djokovic
Radek Stepanek vs. Dusan Lajovic
How they got here
Czech Republic
d. Switzerland 3-1 in Geneva, Switzerland
d. Kazakhstan 3-1 in Astana, Kazakhstan
d. Argentina 3-0 in Prague, Czech Republic
Serbia
d. Belgium 3-0 in Charleroi, Belgium
d. United States 3-1 in Boise, United States
d. Canada 3-2 in Belgrade, Serbia
Analysis
With each team’s top player facing the other country’s second man (as always), this Davis Cup final should be knotted at 1-1 after the first day of singles action. Serbia will like the fact that Djokovic is up first and can snag the early momentum for the host side. The world No. 2 is 8-1 lifetime against Stepanek and has won seven in a row in the head-to-head series. Stepanek won two hard-court Challenger events this fall, but he is in a relative slump at the ATP level. Berdych should have no trouble evening the score in the second rubber. Lajovic actually registers at a decent 117th in the rankings, but he lacks pressure-packed Davis Cup experience. The 23-year-old is just 1-0 lifetime in the competition, with a victory in a dead singles rubber (6-4, 6-4 over Sweden’s Filip Prpic in 2012).
Doubles is often critical in Davis Cup, and this final should be no exception. Rarely does one tie feature such obvious favorites in all four singles matches; Serbia will almost certainly win Djokovic’s two rubbers and it will be a considerable underdog in the other two. As such, the winner of Saturday’s doubles showdown (assuming it is 1-1 heading into it) is in the catbird seat to hoist the trophy one day later. Djokovic will be an option for Serbia given the importance of the match, but Bozoljac has proven his worth with Zimonjic. Bozoljac turned in an incredible performance as the pair stunned Bob and Mike Bryan 7-6(5), 7-6(1), 5-7, 4-6, 15-13 during Davis Cup quarterfinal action back in April. In the semis two months ago, Bozoljac and Zimonjic lost a heartbreaker to Canada’s Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil 6-7(6), 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(5), 10-8. Those experiences, combined with home-court advantage in the form of a raucous Serbian crown, may help them overcome a formidable doubles duo in Berdych and Stepanek. Hajek and Rosol are currently nominated, but that is not happening unless Stepanek somehow upsets Djokovic on Day 1 and the Czechs hold a 2-0 lead heading into doubles.
If the tie goes five, the visitors will have an edge with Stepanek going up against Lajovic. Stepanek has contested six decisive fifth singles rubbers, including four since the start of 2007. The 34-year-old most recently won the clinching match of the entire 2012 competition, beating Nicolas Almagro of Spain in four sets. But it may not get to Stepanek. If Serbia takes the doubles point and leads 2-1, Djokovic can wrap up the title against Berdych. Djokovic is dominating their head-to-head series 14-2, including 12-0 on hard courts.
Predictions
Djokovic over Stepanek in 3
Berdych over Lajovic in 3
Bozoljac/Zimonjic over Berdych/Stepanek in 5
Djokovic over Berdych in 3
Serbia 3, Czech Republic 1
[polldaddy poll=7553618]
Comments and your own predictions are appreciated!
Time to nail my colours to the mast: I am rooting for the Czechs because I do not want Novak to benefit from the filip a win would give him….
I could give several reasons why I am too 😉
Berdy has not really pulled his weight. Hope it’s because he is holding back and leaving Steps to do what he is best at.
ed and RITB, pencil me in as well in the Czech cheerleader squad. For all the immature reasons alluded to above 🙂 Someone has to stop the Nole fraight train lol! Though, my feeling is, that a Czech DC win tomorrow, while a very likely outcome, by itself won’t do the trick. Only a win of BigBerd, a very UNlikely result, would halt the momentum of the Djoker.
Serbia all at sea…………
I don’t think Novak playing would have made much difference to the outcome, frankly. All that would have done is to paly further into the Czeck’s hands by tiring Novak out………
In this form Steps could’ve played against the Serbs without Berdy and still won 🙂
Steps ain’t losing to Lajovic
All over now, bar the shouting………..Czechs up a break in the 3rd.
^^My bad, that was a Serb hold!
Ademo Serbia….
Why is Berdy having so much trouble returning serve?
Adavantage Czech: 2-1
He more than redeemed himself with a blistering return at the end of the TB
Czech won! Hooray!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AWCtlHCQms
Hi, a bit late to the DC party. I needed some time out from tennis… and commenting as well, lol!
So far all three setters…. no epic fights. That might change tomorrow, when Djoker and Berdych clash. I have a soft spot for BigBerd ever since his hilarious twitter exchanges with pseudofed… epic, as Ricky would probably say. And someone just has to stop this rollerball in form of a tennis player, lol! So, go for it BigBerd, and don’t leave it to Steps to have to play the hero. But the cards look good for Radek and Tomas. Even, if Djoker gets his 24th win, it might not be enough for Serbia. The absence of Tipsi and Troicki will probably cost Serbia the title.
how did Bozoljac play?
Better than his better half, lol! Steps was the best.
Ricky Dimon@November 16, 2013 at 6:29 pm
If better than in the 2012 QF, then not enough. Berdych & Stepanek won 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(4) in 2012.
why did Bozo play if this matchup was already confirmed to be a bad one for them?
I imagine because Bozo and Zimo brought home the bacon by beating the Bryan brothers in the QF and took Nestor and Pospisil* to a very tense 5th set in the SF. Their 2-12 QF loss to Steps and Berdy was on clay in Prague.
Serbia banked on this combo pulling it off on a hard court with home crowd advantage.
*which had the effect of depleting Popsi before he played Tipsaravic.
If Serbia do lose tomorrow batten down the hatches for a Gale Force 10 tirade from Djokovic over the Troicki ban. He is still shooting his mouth off, see yesterday’s comments:
http://zeenews.india.com/sports/tennis/novak-djokovic-slams-wada-again-over-troicki-doping-ban_773200.html
Time he shut up on the subject. He’s not really helping Troicki and it does not help the image of tennis to imply gross incompetency on the part of WADA, ATP and ITF.
Fully agree! While there might have been mistakes from the doctor, it was Troicki’s refusal to give a sample, which sparked the whole incident in the first place. He got his penalty reduction, because the officials MIGHT have made mistakes (we will never know for sure), and that’s it. End of story. Nole should let it go, for crying out loud!
I understand Troicki was banned again by the ITF from being court side.
he was
Pity the ITF haven’t instructed Djokovic to zip it. It’s preposterous the way in which he is exploiting his status and high profile to mount an attack on the governing bodies in tennis under the guise of giving support to his friend.
@ed
Apparently Nole doesn’t want the WTF to be at the O2 either! Does he expect me to fly to the other end of the world to cheer Andy?
#Shocking
Where does he think it should be? In Belgrade?
Lol ed., probably! And what’s with Serb players and flamboyant specs? Look gr8 but don’t they restrict peripheral vision? Would’ve thought contact lenses are better.
Funny you should mention that. I barely recognised Tipsy yesterday. He is actually quite handsome without those stupid glasses. Do you remember when he was wearing that weird contraption like an anti-snoring device to aid his breathing?
ed251137@November 16, 2013 at 4:29 pm
—I could give several reasons why I am too [rooting for the Czechs]—
I have only one reason: I am a Rafa fan.
I don’t want Djoko to earn ranking points and narrow the gap with Rafa in the rankings.
Snap!
Djokovic is on a tear. Already strutting as though he has won the match.
The single biggest change in Djokovic’s game is his serve. Was a time when it was a liability. Now it’s become a lethal weapon (amongst many others). Reckon this will be a straight set win for Serbia.
Berdy is losing nearly all the baseline rallies.
During Berdych’s (!) match, British commentators didn’t forget to mention that Rosol defeated Rafa. I haven’t heard them hailing Berdych’s victories over Federer at the 2004 Olympics, 2010 Wimbledon and 2012 US Open.
that’s because Rosol isn’t known for anything else (other than the doubles match)
Berdych isn’t known for beating Federer at those events.
begs the question, why bring up that match with one injured player over and over, and in particular during today’s match? Did Berd play in that match? Nope. Did Novak? Nope. Were they speculating that Berd might cause an upset given that Novak’s knee is really shot? Nope. Could they have instead talked about matches when Berd caused an important upset, or would that be too relevant 🙂 ?
They cant help themselves. Wish I had a £ for every time the Rosol, Soderling, and Darcis wins are trotted out 🙁
Nole! Nole! Nole! 🙂
Xpecting Sep to win though.
@Augusta
Wasn’t it Frew? But bloody infuriating whoever.
PHENOMENAL response by Djokovic since the USO final… 24 match win streak is it? He is playing some of the best tennis of his career at the moment…
Davis cup indeed is a ‘team effort’. Nole cant win it single handedly …Steps is gona take it