The 2013 Davis Cup final will begin on Friday in Belgrade, Serbia with the host nation going up against the Czech Republic. Novak Djokovic opens with Radek Stepanek, followed by Dusan Lajovic vs. Tomas Berdych.
Novak Djokovic vs. Radek Stepanek
Djokovic and Stepanek will be squaring off for the 10th time in their careers when they kick off the Davis Cup final on Friday afternoon in Belgrade, Serbia. The world No. 2 is dominating the head-to-head series 8-1 and he has won seven in a row over Stepanek since losing their second encounter in a decisive third-set tiebreaker back in 2006. They last faced each other earlier this season at the Australian Open, where Djokovic prevailed 6-4, 6-3, 7-5.
Stepanek is just 15-16 at the ATP level in 2013, but he has actually played decent tennis this fall. The 34-year-old Czech captured two hard-court Challenger titles in late September and early October and he also reached the Vienna quarterfinals. Djokovic is a perfect 22-0 since the U.S. Open, with titles in Beijing, Shanghai, Paris, and at the World Tour Finals. The Serb is playing better than anyone right now, and home-court advantage will only make him an even bigger favorite over Stepanek.
Pick: Djokovic in 3 losing fewer than 11 games
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Dusan Lajovic vs. Tomas Berdych
No Janko Tipsarevic. No Viktor Troicki. Enter Lajovic. The 23-year-old Serb registers at No. 117 in the world, three spots off his career-high ranking. He is 5-12 lifetime at the ATP level, including 0-4 this season. Since losing in the first round of U.S. Open qualifying, Lajovic is 13-5 on the Challenger circuit with a title (he got a walkover in the final) in Seoul. This is his first-ever live Davis Cup rubber.
Berdych is coming off a round-robin ouster in London, where he beat David Ferrer in straight sets but suffered three-set losses to Stanislas Wawrinka and Rafael Nadal. The seventh-ranked Czech is 53-24 for the year, which was solid from start to finish aside from the fact that he did not win a title. Berdych has way too much talent and experience for Lajovic and the favorite will be able to impose his power game on an indoor hard court. Lajovic’s only chance of making it competitive is to start fast and keep the crowd alive.
Pick: Berdych in 3 losing more than 11 games
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I am not watching the 2nd rubber but from the scoreline it appears the young Serb can play. He could upset Steps if it goes to a 5th……………