World number one Novak Djokovic led defending champions Serbia to victory against Canada in the opening match of two German group opponents in the ATP Cup in Melbourne. In contrast, Grand Slam record winner Rafael Nadal had to undergo his use. The Spaniard was due to a duel with Australian Alex de Minauer on Tuesday, but was canceled due to lower back problems.
“We decided within the team that I will not play any game here in Melbourne today,” Nadal tweeted. He hopes to be able to return to the court on Thursday in the second duel between finalists Spain and Greece last year.
Nadal will not take any chances for the Australian Open starting next week in Melbourne. There he wants to be the only Grand Slam record winner with one more win and then record 21 wins. So far, he is ranked first in this ranking alongside Swiss Roger Federer, who will not debut in Australia.
Jewrev and company meet with Canada
On the other hand, Djokovic presented himself in great shape on the first day and continued his role as a favorite with 7: 5, 7: 5 against Canadian top player Denis Shapovalov. After the Canadians equalized 6: 3, 6: 4 by Milos Raonic against Dusan Lajovic, Djokovic won 7: 5, 7: 6 (7: 4) against Ronki / Shapovalov in doubles with Filip Krajinovic. .
Germany will face the Canadians on Wednesday. Alexander Zverev (Hamburg), Jan-Lénard Struff (Warstein) and two-time French Open winner Kevin Kreitz / Andreas Mies (Coburg / Cologne) are in action. Last year, Germany were eliminated in the group game. Before his season opener, Zverev said, “Last year I did not win the match in the ATP Cup. I had just got one set. It was not enough for me.
Austria suffered a loss to top player Dominic Thiem. The US Open champion played both his singles against Matto Beretini (2: 6, 4: 6) and Dennis Novak’s 2–1 draw against Italy in the final double.
