World no 1 has citied fatigue as the main reason for pulling out of the Davis Cup tie
Novak Djokovic
Bengaluru: From the high of winning the Wimbledon crown to the low of making a shock semifinal exit at the US Open last week, for the newly-wed and soon-to-be father Novak Djokovic, the last few months have been a roller coaster ride.
Hence it comes as no surprise that the World No.1 from Serbia has put down fatigue as the main reason for pulling out of the Davis Cup World Group Play off against hosts India at the KSLTA courts in Bengaluru this weekend.
Explaining Djokovic’s absence, Serbia coach Bogdan Obradovic said, “He is very tired. He wants to take rest and get ready for the last part of the season. He wants to stay no. 1 till the end of the season.”
“Also, there are personal reasons after he got married and wants to spend some time at home. That is a normal part of life,” he added. The city’s humidity levels and high altitude were also factors that according to Obradovic prompted Djokovic’s pull out.
From the time the two teams were pitted against each other, there has been a lot of excitement among Indian tennis buffs, eager to watch the reigning Wimbledon champion in action for the first time on Indian soil.
While there is a sense of relief in the Indian camp about the top star’s absence, India’s best ranked singles player, Somdev Devvarman, put the tennis lovers’ and the Indian players’ sentiments in perspective when he said, “It is mixed emotions I guess. “It would have been really neat to see the world no. 1 play in India. For the crowd, for tennis in India and for a buzz, it would have been really nice. “Obviously, for our chances they are a lot better without him. It’s good to know that we have a chance in the tie,” the Agartala lad added.
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