ATP Cup: Djokovic, Thiem, Berrettini - double shifts to kick off
The first day of the ATP Cup 2021 in Melbourne showed that when it gets really important, the top players in singles also go through doubles.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Feb 02, 2021, 03:17 pm
“He played the most incredible balls in the most important moments,” Novak Djokovic said after the Serbian double win against Canada with regard to his partner Filip Krajinovic. Especially the return at the score of 4: 4 was still fondly remembered by the world number one. In principle, however, the following applies: Both played very rarely in doubles. But as with the parallel game between Austria and Italy, the specialists initially had a break in the early session of the ATP Cup 2020 in Melbourne. In the Jon Cain Arena, the winner was determined between Dominic Thiem and Dennis Novak on the one hand and Fabio Fognini and Matteo Berrettini on the other.
Seven of the eight players used in the pair skating had also played the individual before, only Krajinovic watched Dusan Lajovic's defeat against Milos Raonic from the bench. But Krajinovic is not considered a double expert either - Nikola Cacic would have been intended for this role in the Serbian team. The announced match between Philipp Oswald and Tristan-Samuel Weißborn on the one hand and Andrea Vavassori on the other did not take place at all.
Djokovic rarely, but sometimes successfully in doubles
A trend that will continue? Rather not. Looking at the German team, which will play against the Canadians in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday (from midnight live on Sky and ServusTV and in our live ticker), it is rather unlikely that Mischa Zverev will break up the successful duo Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies or leave it completely outside. Even if both Alexander Zverev and Jan-Lennard Struff know where the goal is in doubles.
Rather, the days at the ATP Cup are used by the top players to gather as much match practice as possible. Novak Djokovic took brother Marko by the hand at his first tournament on Asche in 2019, a few months later in Cincinnati when he returned to hard court Janko Tipsarevic. In Indian Wells in the same season, Djokovic had shown at almost the highest level what he is made of in doubles: He reached the semifinals with Fabio Fognini.
There were no more dramas of this kind in the night session: both the match between Russia and Argentina and between Spain and Australia was already decided by the individual. Andrey Rublev also played for the victorious Russians in doubles. There was no alternative to Pablo Carreno Busta: Rafael Nadal was not available, Roberto Bautista Agut is not a proven doubles player, so "PCB" went to the court in the Rod Laver Arena again with Marcel Granollers. And got the third point for Spain.