ATP Cup: Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic lead their nation to victory
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic fixed the victory for their country on the first day of the ATP Cup. Both prevailed in two sentences.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Jan 04, 2020, 02:39 pm
Roberto Bautista Agut had given Spain a 6-0 and 6-0 win over Aleksandre Metreveli with a 1-0 lead, followed by Nadal against Nikoloz Basilashvili.
The world number one only had problems against the Georgian at the very end when the Mallorcan lost a 5-2 lead (double break). The 6: 3 and 7: 5 success was never really at risk. In addition, it was planned that Nadal should also appear in doubles. At the side of Pablo Carreno Busta, the 33-year-old should have tried to fix the 3-0 win against Aleksandre Bakshi and Georgi Tsivadze. However, captain Francisco Roig switched after winning the single: Feliciano Lopez will now play instead of Nadal.
The situation was similar with Serbia: Novak Djokovic should go against Raven Klaasen and Ruan Roelofse together with Viktor Troicki. The world number two is now being replaced by Nikola Cacic.
In individual cases, the world number two prevailed in a high-class match against Kevin Anderson. Djokovic won the rematch of the Wimbledon final of 2018 with 7: 6 (5) and 7: 6 (6). Dusan Lajovic had previously asserted himself in three sets against Llyod Harris.