Head-to-head: First meeting -Serbia v Argentina

Written by: Staff on 15th September 2011

Head-to-head: First meeting -Serbia v Argentina

Argentina's Tennis Davis Cup Team players Juan Martin Del Potro (R), Juan Monaco (2nd R), David Nalbandian (2nd L) and Juan Ignacio Chela (L) during the drawing for the Tennis Davis Cup World semi final match between Serbia and Argentina in Belgrade, Serbia, 15 September 2011. Serbian players Novak Djokovic, Janko Tipsarevic, Viktor Troicki and Nenad Zimonjic will face Juan Martin Del Potro, David Nalbandian, Juan Ignacio Chela, and Juan Monaco of Argentina between 16-18 September 2011. EPA/SRDJAN SUKI |

SERBIA v ARGENTINA

Head-to-head: first meeting

(Please note that the head-to-head record between Yugoslavia and Argentina was used to determine choice of ground for this tie. Yugoslavia led the series 1-0).

SERBIA	v	ARGENTINA

2	Current DC Nations Ranking	5
Champion 2010	Best Result	Runner-up 1981, 2006, 2008
1995	First year played	1923
17	Years played (incl 2011)	57
4	Years in World Group (incl 2011)	19
45	Ties played	134
33-12	Ties Win-Loss	76-58
0	Comebacks from 0-2 down	0

Defending champion SERBIA won their first Davis Cup title by defeating France 3-2 in last year’s final in Belgrade. Serbia became the 13th nation to win Davis Cup. It was the 6th time a nation had won the Davis Cup trophy on their debut in the final. Serbia were also the 2nd unseeded nation to win Davis Cup after Croatia in 2005.

Serbia defeated India 4-1 in the 1st round in Novi Sad and Sweden 4-1 in the quarterfinals in Halmstad to reach the semifinals for a 2nd consecutive year and just the 2nd time overall. Viktor Troicki played as No. 1 in both ties and is undefeated in 4 singles rubbers played in 2011.

Serbia first competed in Davis Cup in 1995 under the Yugoslav flag. Yugoslavia was renamed Serbia & Montenegro in 2004 before Serbia became an independent nation in 2007. Before 1995, Serbian players represented former Yugoslavia, which reached the World Group semifinals three times in 1988-89 and 1991.

Serbia are on a 7-match winning streak in Davis Cup. The Serbians have only lost 3 times at home since 1995. The last team to beat Serbia in a home tie was Belgium in 2005, which was also the last time Novak Djokovic lost a singles rubber in Serbia.

At No. 2, Serbia are ranked at their highest position to date in the Davis Cup Nations Ranking.

If Serbia win, they will be at home in the final against Spain or away to France.

ARGENTINA are into the semifinals for the 7th time since returning to the World Group in 2002. They have reached the quarterfinals or better every year since 2002. They are looking to reach their 4th final in history.

Argentina defeated Romania 4-1 in the 1st round and Kazakhstan 5-0 in the quarterfinals this year. Both ties were played at Parque Roca in Buenos Aires.

The Argentine team is looking to win their first Davis Cup semifinal away from home. Since the inception of the World Group in 1981, Argentina have made 9 semifinal appearances, losing all 6 on foreign soil (l. Sweden 4-1 in 1983; l. Australia 5-0 in 1990; l. Russia 3-2 in 2002; l. Spain 3-2 in 2003; l. Slovak Republic 4-1 in 2005; l. France 5-0 in 2010).

David Nalbandian won his 32nd Davis Cup rubber (singles and doubles) by defeating Adrian Ungur in the 1st round to put himself in 2nd place on the all-time list of most Davis Cup wins for Argentina. Only Guillermo Vilas (57 wins) has more victories for Argentina.

Argentina is a 3-time runner-up in Davis Cup: in 1981 (l. USA), 2006 (l. Russia) and 2008 (l. Spain). Its defeat to Spain in Mar del Plata ended a run of 13 consecutive wins at home. Argentina is one of only 3 nations, along with India and Romania, to contest more than one Davis Cup Final without winning the title.