Tennis news - Novak Djokovic confirms Davis Cup participation to boost Serbia and tournament
Published 26/08/2019 at 17:00 GMT
Novak Djokovic will play in the revamped Davis Cup format later this year, his Serbian team have confirmed.
The new finals format will see 18 teams head to Madrid in November for a competition that sees the much-maligned tournament converted into a World Cup-style event with a group stage and knockouts.
No 8 seeds Serbia have been drawn alongside Japan and France and were unsure whether Djokovic would find room in his schedule to play.
However, the 2010 Davis Cup winner and 16-time Grand Slam champion has now told his countrymen that they can rely on his presence.
Serbian Davis Cup team Nenad Zimonjic said in a statement: “Yes, we have fantastic news, Novak will participate in the final tournament in Madrid.
"I had the opportunity to speak with him in New York, the day before the start of the final grand slam competition in the 2019 season at the US Open.
“Novak confirmed that he would join the team in Madrid.
"It will be a huge boost for us and we are all looking forward to participating in this competition, which will also be the first tournament to be played in this new format.”
With Roger Federer's presence denied by Switzerland's failure to qualify for the tournament, organisers were relying on Djokovic to bring some star quality to the inauguration of the new schedule.
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