DAVIS CUP: U.S. vs. Serbia Preview Notes

Written by: Staff on 2nd April 2013

DAVIS CUP: U.S. vs. Serbia Preview Notes

epa03629889 Rafael Nadal from Spain in action against Juan Martin Del Potro from Argentina at the BNP Paribas Open tennis Men's Final in Indian Wells, California, USA, 17 March 2013. Nadal won the final. EPA/MICHAEL NELSON |

The Road to the Final Four of the 2013 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas takes place this weekend in four cities around the world – Vancouver, Canada; Boise, Idaho; Buenos Aires, Argentina and Astana, Kazakhstan. The United States hosts Serbia and the world’s top-ranked player, Novak Djokovic, in its quarterfinal match-up on an indoor hard court at the Taco Bell Arena on the Boise State University campus.

This is just the third time that the U.S. Davis Cup team has faced the No. 1-ranked player in the world since the ATP rankings began in 1974. The U.S. Davis Cup team split its two prior meetings against the world’s top-ranked player – a loss in the 2008 semifinals in Madrid (Spain’s Rafael Nadal) and a victory in the 1992 semifinals in Minneapolis (Sweden’s Stefan Edberg). Sam Querrey made his Davis Cup debut against then-world No. 1 Rafael Nadal in that semifinal meeting.

This match will mark just the second meeting between the U.S. and Serbia in Davis Cup competition. Serbia won the only meeting, 3-2, in the 2010 World Group First Round in Belgrade by a Novak Djokovic-led team. Serbia is only one of three countries to have a winning record against the U.S. Davis Cup Team. Serbia is playing in the World Group for its sixth consecutive year after making its World Group debut in 2008 with the help of Djokovic. Serbia won its first and only Davis Cup title in 2010.

Both Sam Querrey and John Isner have faced Serbia’s Djokovic and Viktor Troicki in Davis Cup competition. In the 2010 World Group First Round, Troicki and Djokovic won their singles matches on the first day of play (in his Davis Cup debut, Isner lost to Troicki, then Djokovic defeated Querrey), while the U.S. took the doubles match (Isner and Bob Bryan defeated Janko Tipsarevic and Nenad Zimonjic). Then, on the final day of play, Djokovic and Isner battled for four hours and 16 minutes in one of the longest Davis Cup match since the introduction of the tiebreak in 1989 with Djokovic winning 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-7(8), 6-4. Querrey later won the dead rubber against Troicki.

Idaho is the 34th state to host a U.S. Davis Cup tie. This will be the second consecutive home tie for the U.S. Davis Cup Team after winning the 2013 World Group First Round in Jacksonville, Fla., against Brazil. This will be just the third home match as U.S. Davis Cup Captain for Jim Courier and just the fourth home tie for the U.S. since 2009. In that time, the U.S. team has played seven road matches—all on clay. The U.S. is 110-16 all-time in Davis Cup ties played at home.

The U.S. leads all nations with 32 Davis Cup titles and owns the longest uninterrupted run in the World Group, dating back to 1989. The U.S. holds a 213-66 all-time Davis Cup record and has a winning record against 35 of the 39 countries faced and a level record with one country. The U.S. is undefeated versus 21 countries and holds an active winning streak against 34 nations. Founded in 1900, Davis Cup is the world’s largest annual international men’s team competition with 130 nations competing in 2013.

The winner of this match will face either Canada or Italy in the semifinal. Should the U.S. defeat Serbia, it will host Canada or travel to Italy.