"Novak Djokovic is in Spain with his family" - Davis Cup captain Viktor Troicki says he believes Serb will miss qualifying round tie against Slovakia

Novak Djokovic will not be participating in Serbia's Davis Cup qualifying round tie against Slovakia on Friday (February 2), according to Viktor Troicki's latest comments to a Bosnian daily.

Djokovic was one of the driving forces behind Serbia's semifinal finish at last year's Davis Cup Finals. Although the Serb dropped two of his country's three fixtures against Italy, he has an impressive 44-16 win/loss record at the team competition.

Djokovic has had a tough start to his 2024 season, looking far from his best during the 2024 Australian Open. He lost to Jannik Sinner in the semifinals, marking his third defeat to the Italian in their four most recent encounters.

Following his Melbourne exit, the 24-time Slam champion flew back to Mallorca, Spain, where his family has lived since 2020. Djokovic is expected to take rest now, meaning he will likely not be available for Serbia's qualifying round fixture against Slovakia in Kraljevo.

Viktor Troicki, captain of the Serbian Davis Cup team, recently spoke to Sportal.rs about his team's potential line-up on Friday. He said that he doesn't believe Djokovic will be in attendance during Serbia's qualifying round match.

Troicki also touched upon the 24-time Grand Slam winner's three-set 2023 Davis Cup semifinal defeat to Jannik Sinner, claiming that the result was still heavy in the hearts of his team members.

"I don't believe he will come, he is in Spain with his family," Troicki said to Sportal.rs. "It's not the distant past, unfortunately. It hurt a lot and it still hurts, we all know how close we were, but that's what happened to the best player of all time."

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Novak Djokovic won the Davis Cup for Serbia in 2010

Serbia v France - Davis Cup World Group Final - Day Three

Although Novak Djokovic is not expected to be in action this Friday, he has made several monumental contributions for Serbia in the past - which includes guiding them to their first Davis Cup title in 2010.

The then-24-year-old was not in great form for most of the 2010 season, failing to win a singles title. However, he produced some inspired performances in the Davis Cup.

The Serb scored a string of impressive wins in the 124-year-old competition that year, beating the likes of Tomas Berdych, Marin Cilic, Gael Monfils, Gilles Simon, John Isner, Sam Querrey and Ivan Ljubicic in his singles fixtures.

Djokovic's Davis Cup title in November 2010 set the tone for a stellar 2011 ATP Tour season, which saw him win three of the four Major titles and rise to the World No. 1 position for the first time.