Watch: Roaring Novak Djokovic leads Serbia into Davis Cup knockouts after ousting Carlos Alcaraz-less Spain
Novak Djokovic has wasted no time to stamp his authority at the 2023 Davis Cup Finals by leading Serbia into the knockout stages.
The recently crowned US Open champion joined team Serbia in Valencia for the Davis Cup Finals group stage after taking part in the grand celebration for his historic triumph in New York at the Old Palace (Stari Dvor) in Belgrade.
Serbia had already played one group stage contest before Djokovic arrived, beating South Korea 3-0 in the best-of-three (two singles and one doubles) tie on Tuesday (September 12).
The Serbian donned his national colors to face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain in the second clash of the Serbia vs. Spain tie on Friday (September 15).
Before this match, World No. 37 Laslo Djere had given the Balkans the advantage by beating World No. 95 Adrian Ramos, 6-4, 6-4.
In front of an electric crowd in Valencia, the World No. 1 showed his class and experience to down Davidovich Fokina in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.
As a result, Serbia and Djokovic have knocked out host Spain, which was notably missing their best player and World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz. The veteran from Belgrade was pumped up and roared in triumph after delivering for his nation.
Serbia, with still one more tie to go, has qualified for the final 8 stage, which will be played in Malaga, Spain, in November.
The team featuring Dusan Lajovic, Laslo Djere, Miomir Kecmanovic, and Nikola Cacic, will face current group leader Czech Republic, three-time Davis Cup champions, in their final group stage tie on Saturday, September 16.
Novak Djokovic's priority is to win the Davis Cup 2023
Novak Djokovic did not take any time off after winning the US Open on Sunday, (September 10), and had gone straight to Valencia to join fellow Serbian teammates.
He is thrilled to represent his country on the international stage once again, saying that winning the 2023 Davis Cup title is his top priority for the rest of the season.
"My priority will be winning the Davis Cup. I hope it will come step by step. The first step was taken without me with a 3-0 win against South Korea two days ago," he told the Spanish media.
The 36-year-old hopes to contribute to Serbia's Davis Cup glory and has gotten one step closer to that goal after his team's exploits against Spain.
Serbia is a former Davis Cup champion, winning the tournament in 2010 with a team made up of Novak Djokovic, Janko Tipsarevic, Victor Troicki, and Nenad Zimonjic.
"I came here to contribute to the overall triumph of Serbia. The goal is to qualify for the final tournament in Malaga and to go where we didn't play last year," he said.
After bettering Davidovich Fokina, the Serb was over the moon and alluded to his recent successes, which included titles at the ATP 1000 Western and Southern Open and US Open.
He also highlighted the incredible honor of representing his country on the international stage.
"I'm on cloud nine, as you can say, with everything the has been happening lately on the tennis court. Obviously, playing for Serbia, for my country, is something completely different. It's a huge responsibility and pressure, but also an incredible privilege and honour," he said in his post-match interview.