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Several tennis fans online have reacted to Novak Djokovic's eyes welling up following Serbia’s exit from the 2023 Davis Cup.
Serbia were knocked out of the Davis Cup after their semifinal loss against Italy on Saturday, November 25, in Malaga, Spain. Although they took an early 1-0 lead courtesy Miomir Kecmanovic's win over Lorenzo Musetti, Djokovic lost to Jannik Sinner 2-6, 6-2, 5-7 in the second singles match. That forced the tie to a deciding doubles contest.
Djokovic and Kecmanovic met Sinner and Lorenzo Sonego in the doubles. But it was the Italians who came out on top, winning 6-3, 6-4 and advancing to Sunday's championship match against Australia.
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Following Serbia’s loss to Italy in the 2023 Davis Cup semifinal, Djokovic got teary-eyed while addressing the media. That caught the attention of tennis fans, who took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their views.
One fan wrote that Djokovic gets emotional whenever he represents his country in a national event.
“Davis Cup and Olympics are nothing according to Djokovic fans whenever debating Nadal fans. Yet every single national event Djokovic takes part in has him in tears…”
Another fan sarcastically brought up Nadal’s achievements at the Davis Cup. For context, Nadal led Spain to Davis Cup victories in 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2019.
“Nadal's 5 Davis Cups is an underrated achievement. In the BO5 era.”
Another fan remarked:
“Man choked today for his country”.
Novak Djokovic gives his thoughts on playing Davis Cup right after the 2023 ATP Finals
In the press conference after Serbia’s semifinal defeat, Djokovic was asked about how physically and mentally taxing it was to play in the Davis Cup immediately after the 2023 ATP Finals. The Serb replied:
“I don't want to talk about it, you know, because it's going to sound like an excuse. It is what it is. You just have to shake the hands and move on, you know.”
He went on to express his delight at representing his country in the competition as well as his disappointment at the team's defeat. Djokovic said:
“Obviously this is a tough one to swallow. I was really, you know, trying to hype myself and encourage myself, you know, for this week. Throughout the entire season, you know, my thoughts were this week, you know, with my Davis Cup team. Yeah, I tried to contribute. I did in the first tie, but today it wasn't meant to be.”
Novak Djokovic will next appear in the United Cup, scheduled from December 29 - January 7 in Sydney and Perth.
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