After playing in an empty field in the group stage, Novak Djokovic again chose to be in front of Davis Cup fans.
Djokovic fed an energetic crowd from the start on Wednesday as Serbia advanced to the semi-finals with a 2-1 win over Kazakhstan at the Madrid Arena.
Top-ranked Djokovic defeated Aleksandar Bublik in straight sets in his singles match to keep Serbia alive in the quarterfinals, then teamed up with Nikola Kasik in the deciding doubles to register a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 win over Andrey Golubev. Of. and Alexander Nedoviusov.
Serbia played its group-stage matches without fans in Austria, because coronavirus global pandemic.
“It makes a big difference,” said Djokovic, who was constantly turning to the crowd to celebrate during his matches.
“One of the reasons professional tennis exists is fans. It is very important to play in front of fans. They give us a lot of energy, they give us a lot of motivation to try to do our best on the court. We didn’t have fans in Innsbruck so it was a completely different atmosphere. ,
Andrey Golubev and Alexander Nedoviusov of Kazakhstan return the ball against Nikola Kasik and Novak Djokovic of Serbia during the Davis Cup quarterfinal doubles match between Serbia and Kazakhstan at Madrid Arena Stadium in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, December 1, 2021. (AP photo/ Manu Fernandez)
Serbia advanced to the last four for the first time since 2017 and will face Croatia, which overtook Italy on Monday.
Serbia won their fifth semi-final match in the team event by breaking serve 2–2 and 5–3 in the third set of doubles.
Serbia made it to the last eight as one of the top two second-place finishers of the six groups. It was second only to Germany in a group that also included Austria.
Serbia lost to Russia in the quarter-finals of the first edition of the Davis Cup final in 2019. Its only title came in the final against France in 2010, and it was runners-up to the Czech Republic in 2013.
Djokovic had to win his singles match after Mikhail Kukushkin defeated Miomir Kekmanovic in the opener.
Djokovic broke his serve once in each set to win 6-3, 6-4 against 36th-ranked Bublik, extending his Davis Cup singles winning streak to 17 matches. They won their first two matches comfortably in this year’s edition of the revised team competition.
Djokovic had a total of 11 break points in this match, which lasted 1 hour 18 minutes at the Madrid Arena.
182nd-ranked Kukushkin needed more than three hours in his 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-6(11) victory over number 69 Kekemanovic.
He saved four match points, including two in the deciding tiebreaker.
Kukushkin had a breakup in the second set, but Kekmanovic returned after winning four straight games in the match after converting his fifth set point.
Kekmanovic got off to a quick start in the deciding set but could not take advantage of his five break opportunities to take a 4-0 lead. They then lost two match points 5–3 before being pushed into a tiebreaker. The Serbian required medical attention at 5-4 but was able to continue.
Kukushkin saved another pair of match points in the tiebreaker before converting it into his fifth chance to win.
“That’s why we love the Davis Cup,” Kukushkin said. “I am honored to play for my country and to play alongside Kazakhstan. It was important for us. I am super excited.”
Kazakhstan was recently looking to make its first semi-final after reaching the last eight times in 2018 when it lost to Croatia. It won its group this year against runners-up Sweden and Canada in 2019.
Viktor Troki is making his Serbia debut as captain two years after his last appearance as a player.
It was a mostly packed Madrid Arena for the quarterfinals, although hosts Spain did not make it past the group stage.
The Spanish capital was the sole host of the team event in 2019, but this time Innsbruck in Austria and Turin in Italy also hosted matches. Madrid will host both the semi-finals and the final.
A new venue for next year will be unveiled on Sunday.
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