Tennis·ROUNDUP

Djokovic ready for 'one final push' in bid to finish season with Davis Cup title

Novak Djokovic is not ready to start letting down just yet. The top-ranked Serb wants to keep his momentum going for one last week and cap a great season in style with the Davis Cup title.

Australia rallies to beat Czech Republic, reach semifinals

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Novak Djokovic is on a 20-match winning streak in Davis Cup singles matches, going back to a loss via retirement to Juan Martin del Potro in Serbia's 2011 semifinal defeat against Argentina. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for ITF)

Novak Djokovic is not ready to start letting down just yet.

The top-ranked Serb wants to keep his momentum going for one last week and cap a great season in style with the Davis Cup title.

Djokovic, who won three Grand Slams this year, will lead Serbia against Great Britain in the last quarterfinal of the Davis Cup Finals on Thursday.

"It's the last week of the season so one final push is necessary from each one of us, and I'm excited because I have been playing some really good tennis, particularly in the last four months of the season," said Djokovic, who won a record-breaking seventh ATP Finals title on Sunday.

"I couldn't be happier with the way I performed in the semifinals and finals of Torino, so hopefully I'm carrying this kind of energy and performance level to the Davis Cup," he said.

Djokovic flew to Malaga shortly after his win in Turin to start preparing for the Davis Cup.

"I came the next day. I got a day and a half of rest and I started training right away, because obviously there is not much time to really leave the racquet aside," he said. "Davis Cup has been and is one of my greatest goals of this season and always is. Hopefully I will be able to contribute to win."

WATCH | Defending champion Canada makes quarterfinal exit in Spain:

Finland eliminates Canada from Davis Cup with doubles win

1 year ago
Duration 1:48
After winning his singles match, Otto Virtanen was again the major factor in powering Finland to its first Davis Cup semifinal.

Djokovic is on a 20-match winning streak in Davis Cup singles matches, going back to a loss via retirement to Juan Martin del Potro in Serbia's 2011 semifinal defeat against Argentina. Djokovic's last loss in a completed singles match in the Davis Cup was in 2009. He is tied with Nenad Zimonjic at the top of the list for most Davis Cup match-wins by a Serbian player.

Djokovic helped Serbia win its first Davis Cup title in 2010.

Depleted Britain

Seeking an 11th Davis Cup trophy, Great Britain will take on Serbia without Andy Murray and Dan Evans because of injuries.

The Brits, looking to reach the semifinals for the first time in four years, will be led by No. 18 Cameron Norrie and No. 60 Jack Draper. Neal Skupski and Joe Salisbury are set to play in the doubles.

"Great Britain is one of the greatest tennis nations out there and a very strong team in this format," Djokovic said. "We are a team that don't have any doubles specialists. We rely on singles, but if it comes to doubles, we are also ready to pair up in the different combinations and give it all."

Australia rallies to beat Czech Republic 

A game away from elimination, Australia found a way to rally and make its way back to the Davis Cup semifinals.

Australia came from behind to defeat the Czech Republic 2-1 and reach the last-four for the second straight year.

Alex de Minaur recovered from a set and a break down to keep the Aussies alive, then Max Purcell and Matthew Ebden won the decisive doubles match to set up a last-four encounter with Finland on Friday.

Tomas Machac defeated Jordan Thompson 6-4, 7-5 in the first singles to put the Czechs ahead, but De Minaur beat Jiri Lehecka 4-6, 7-6 (2) 7-5, and then Purcell and Ebden — the 2022 Wimbledon champions — sealed the comeback by defeating Adam Pavlasek and Lehecka 6-4, 7-5 in the doubles.

Australia became only the second nation, after the United States, to reach 200 tie victories in the Davis Cup.

Finland upset defending champion Canada 2-1 on Tuesday. Last year, Australia lost to Canada in the final after defeating Croatia in the last four.

Italy takes on the Netherlands in the other quarterfinal.

The second semifinal will be played on Saturday, with the final taking place on Sunday.

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