Novak Djokovic didn’t take part in the US Open in New York and he won’t be joining initially with the rest of the Serbian team in their upcoming Davis Cup campaign. A flurry of missed tournaments, and subsequently, a significant drop in rankings, has been the story of the season for Djokovic.

Djokovic has withdrawn from the upcoming Davis Cup in September owing to personal reasons. The Serb, who has won 21 Grand Slam titles, was appointed to spearhead his nation’s bid for the championship.

Novak Djokovic cites ‘personal issues’ for his withdrawal

Djokovic has had a tough season thus far, missing a number of major events, including the Australian Open in January, and now the US Open. Recently, his fans received some devastating news concerning his participation in the upcoming Davis Cup.

“Nole will not play for personal reasons. It’s his personal matter. Simply, this time he will be prevented from playing, but he will join the national team if we qualify for the final tournament in Malaga in November,“ stated the Serbian team captain Viktor Troicki while addressing Sportski Zurnal.

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He further confirmed the rest of the players’ participation by saying, “Miomir Kecmanovic, Filip Krajinovic, Laslo Djere, Dusan Lajovic and Nikola Cacic will play.“

Considering all of these, Djokovic’s victory at Wimbledon was the only bright spot this season. 

Key updates on the Davis Cup

In the upcoming Davis Cup, Russian athletes cannot defend their title because of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. They were the winners of the men’s competition in 2021. Meanwhile, Serbia, who lost to Croatia 2-1, qualified for the 2022 semi-finals via wild card. However, Djokovic’s absence will disappoint the organizers, especially since Rafael Nadal has already confirmed his absence.

The last time Serbia won the Davis Cup under Djokovic’s leadership was 12 years ago, in 2010. This shows the importance of Djokovic in the team, both due to his amazing tennis prowess and leadership skills. This, for now, seems like a major blow for the nation’s chances at the tournament. But only time will tell how big of a blow it is for Serbia to miss out on the services of Novak Djokovic.

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