World number one Novak Djokovic said on Wednesday that he wants to end the season by leading Serbia to the Davis Cup in Malaga, Spain.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia hits a return during the men's singles semifinal against Carlos Alcaraz of Spain at the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, June 9, 2023. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)
Djokovic flew to Malaga after winning the ATP Finals in Turin and said he was looking for "one last push" before a well-earned rest.
"It's the last week of the season. I'm really looking forward to it because I've been playing good tennis," he said on the eve of Serbia's quarterfinal with Britain.
"I couldn't be happier with my performance [at the ATP finals] in Turin. I am grateful to be here once again. This was one of my big goals of the season and obviously I am here to win," he added.
Djokovic explained that it was "difficult to find a left-handed sparring partner like [Cameron] Norrie," who leads the British team, and he highlighted that even without Andy Murray, Britain was "a great team," because "they have a lot to choose from" in doubles.
"We don't have a [doubles] specialist, so we rely on singles, but if we reach doubles we will have several combinations and we will do our best," said the world number one.
Finally, Djokovic celebrated that a sell-out crowd was expected on Thursday.
"That's the beauty of this competition, the atmosphere," he commented.