Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are among the superstar tennis players participating in the Davis Cup competition this year. Murray led Great Britain to the title last year, and he will open the trophy defense for the team against Japan on Friday.
Djokovic previously led Serbia to a Davis Cup title in 2010, and he will be starting things off for the team against Kazakhstan in the opening round. He is set to face off against Aleksandr Nedovyesov in the first round, while Viktor Troicki and Mikhail Kukushkin will also play in the singles competition. Djookvic will play again over the weekend in doubles with Nenad Zimonjic against Andrey Golubev and Nedovyesov.
The 28-year-old is coming into the tournament after being forced to drop out of the Dubai Tennis Championships last week with an eye infection. Djokovic retired in the quarterfinals, which ended his streak of 17-straight finals appearances. He is ranked number one in the world and said that he is determined to bring the Davis Cup title back to Serbia after winning it six years ago.
Murray is coming back to defend the title for Great Britain, but he has not been on the tennis court in a competition for over a month. The last time Murray was on the court, he lost to Djokovic in the Australian Open final. Now the British star could face off against Djokovic again if their teams take care of business. Djokovic and Murray would be on track to play in the quarterfinals of the competition if their teams advance through the first round.
"We must first overcome this obstacle," Djokovic said. "The most important thing is to be prepared, start the match with high intensity and use the audience support, which can be crucial."
Murray will start off against Kei Nishikori of Japan in the first round. Nishikori is ranked number six in the world, and that is the highest ranking player that Murray has faced in his Davis Cup career. The match will be at Birmingham's Barclaycard Arena for Murray, and there is a chance that the British star will also play doubles this weekend.
Murray, also 28, said that he plans to play in the quarterfinal round of the tournament if Britain advances. The next round comes at a busy time in the tennis schedule, as it is right between Wimbledon and the Rio Olympics.
"That's the plan, but it's hypothetical just now," Murray said.
