Djokovic helps Serbia past Austria at Davis Cup Finals
Innsbruck, Nov 27 (AP): Top-ranked Novak Djokovic secured a victory for Serbia, 40-year-old Feliciano Lopez got defending champion Spain off to a solid start, and a young Italian team rolled past the 32-time champion United States in the Davis Cup Finals here.
Djokovic beat Dennis Novak 6-3 6-2 to give Serbia a 2-0 lead over host Austria after Dusan Lajovic had defeated Gerald Melzer in three sets to open the best-of-three series in Group F on Friday.
The victory extended Djokovic’s winning streak in Davis Cup singles matches to 15. “It feels great to play for Serbia again,” said Djokovic, who helped his country win the Davis Cup in 2010 but more recently failed to win a medal in either singles or mixed doubles at the Tokyo Olympics. “It’s been a long year but you always find motivation playing for your country.”
Djokovic won seven consecutive games from 3-3 in the first set to take control. “I’m really pleased with the way I ended the match today,” he said. Djokovic had also been scheduled to play in a potentially decisive doubles match but then was replaced by Nikola Cacic after winning his singles match.
