Even a second-string Serbia proved a mighty opponent as Yuki Bhambri and Somdev Devvarman suffered crushing singles defeats to leave India trailing 0-2 on the opening day of the Davis Cup World Group play-off tie in Bangalore.
Play at the Australian Open continued amid the lockdown, but fans were banned through Wednesday. Thousands were forced to leave mid-matches before midnight on Friday.
Murray, playing in his first Davis Cup tie since 2016 and only five months after returning to the sport following career-saving hip surgery, clawed out a 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(5) victory
Rafael Nadal continued his quest for a maiden Paris Masters title when he survived a second set blip to beat Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas
A fired up Yuki Bhambri recorded his first ever victory in a live fifth rubber after Somdev Devvarman levelled the scores as India advanced to World Group Play-offs.
Serbia sealed their place in the Davis Cup quarter-finals in straightforward fashion but Britain survived another nail-biter before joining them in the last-eight on Thursday.
'Irresponsible' Djokovic panned for Adria Tour misadventure.
Favourites Russia Tennis Federation opened their Davis Cup Finals campaign with a resounding victory over Ecuador, Britain began with a win against France and Italy eased into the quarter-finals with a win over Colombia on Saturday.
There was just gut-wrenching despair as Serbia's hopes slipped away in the cruellest fashion imaginable.
Marin Cilic completed a dream week by steering Croatia into the Davis Cup World Group on Sunday but Spain found themselves out in the wilderness after crashing to defeat in Brazil.
A day after taking down world number one Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, Felix Auger-Aliassime booked Canada's place in the Davis Cup quarter-finals on Saturday with a 6-3, 6-4 win against Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic in the group stage tie in Valencia.
Images from Day 7 of the 2019 French Open in Paris on Saturday.
India's top singles player Yuki Bhambri and Asian Games gold-medallist Divij Sharan have pulled out of the Davis Cup World Group Play-off tie against Serbia due to injuries while Sumit Nagal has refused to join the team as a stand-by.
Images from Day 3 of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Wednesday
That is Murray's 46th ATP title.
It took the COVID-19 pandemic to put a brake on Djokovic's 18-match unbeaten run in 2020, as he won the ATP Cup with Serbia, an eighth Australian Open title and a fifth Dubai Tennis Championships before the season came to a halt in early March.
India's Davis Cup coach Zeeshan Ali feels that although world No 1 Novak Djokovic's participation will tilt the balance in Serbia's favour in the upcoming Davis Cup World Group play-off tie, it would be a tie worth remembering for the spectators.
Team India lauds Yuki Bhambri, hero of match against New Zealand.
Last week the men's ATP and the WTA, which runs women's events, issued revised calendars for the resumption of the circuit from August while organisers of the US Open said the Grand Slam will be staged without fans as scheduled from August 31 to September 13 in New York.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday
Images from Saturday's action at the Australian Open.
Nadal had a solid start, but the 35-year-old struggled physically towards the end of the contest
IMAGES from Day 4 of the Wimbledon Champions at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, on Thursday
World number one Novak Djokovic turned the page on his contentious US Open exit and began his claycourt season with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 victory over wildcard Salvatore Caruso in the second round of the Italian Open.
Rafael Nadal put in some late-night overtime to drag hosts Spain into the Davis Cup semi-finals but Novak Djokovic's hopes were dashed in excruciating fashion as Serbia bowed out on Friday.
In the absence of an injured Yuki, a lot would depend on how the left-handed Prajnesh, who won a singles bronze medal at the Asian Games, performs.
Raducanu stormed into the third round of the Cincinnati Open
Novak Djokovic kicked off his season in style with a 7-5, 7-5 win over Canadian talent Denis Shapovalov on his favourite Rod Laver Arena court on Tuesday before returning to lead Serbia to a doubles victory that sealed their ATP Cup opener 2-1.
IMAGES from the matches played at the Miami Masters on Sunday
India face one of the most ferocious Davis Cup challenges at home as nothing less than their best would be required to challenge world number two Serbia, who will test skill and strength of the hosts even without world number one Novak Djokovic in Bangalore from Friday.
Images from Day 6 of the 2023 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Saturday.
The top-seeded Serb, who had not dropped a set in four matches since the round of 16 at the Australian Open in January, looked out-of-sorts throughout the 98-minute contest.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday
Filip Krajinovic beat Yuki Bhambri 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 to give Serbia a 3-2 win in their deciding singles tie of the Davis Cup in Bangalore on Monday.
Images from Day 4 of the 2021 French Open in Paris on Wednesday.
The Serena Williams show continued at the US Open as the world number one moved a step closer to a calendar Grand Slam on Wednesday, while Mardy Fish took a final Flushing Meadows bow as the curtain came down on the American's career.
'You'd also be wrong if you tried to lump me in the same category as Bernard Tomic'
Roger Federer rallied from a set down to beat Moldovan surprise package Radu Albot 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 in a stuttering start to the 20-times Grand Slam champion's Miami Open campaign on Saturday.
Images from Day 4 of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Thursday.
Bernard Tomic is set to sit out the Australian Open after Tennis Australia (TA) decided not to award him a wildcard to the main draw, the organisers said on Thursday.
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