World number six Novak Djokovic has pulled out of Serbia's Davis Cup first-round qualifying tie due to injury.
Serbia have been drawn in Group B alongside Spain, South Korea and Canada.
Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic has defended his Serbian compatriot Novak Djokovic for hosting the ill-fated Adria Tour where a number of players, including the world number one, tested positive for COVID-19. Djokovic was criticised for hosting the tennis tournament amid a pandemic after his coach Goran Ivanisevic and players Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki returned positive tests over the two legs in Serbia and Croatia.
Serbian Viktor Troicki ruthlessly dismantled ailing Kazakh qualifier Mikhail Kukushkin 6-2, 6-3 to win the Sydney International for his second career ATP title on Saturday.
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.
Andy Murray reached the final of the Aegon Championships at Queen's Club on Sunday by defeating Serbia's Viktor Troicki.
Serbia's Viktor Troicki's suspension for violating doping regulations has been cut from 18 months to 12 months after his appeal was heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), it was announced on Tuesday.
'I can only see criticism lately and much of it is malicious'
The Adria Tour tournament, was the brainchild of World No 1 Novak Djokovic, who, along with his wife also tested positive for COVID-19 after the Adria Tour's second leg in Croatia.
Novak Djokovic's intentions in organising the ill-fated Adria Tour were good but the world number one could have applied a bit more common sense to how the exhibition event was run, former ATP players' council head Vijay Amritraj said. The Serbian has faced fierce criticism after he, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki contracted COVID-19 following the charity event in Serbia and Croatia.
Former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic has tested positive for COVID-19 after attending Novak Djokovic's Adria Tour exhibition event which also saw four tennis players test positive. The Croatian tennis great, who coaches World No 1 Djokovic, recently attended the tennis exhibition series in Serbia and Croatia.
Stan Wawrinka was not fully convincing in his four-set victory against Serbian Viktor Troicki but the fourth seed refused to fuss over the nature of his win after securing his place in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Friday.
Thiem, who also played in the charity event but did not contract the virus, told Austrian media that Kyrgios had "made a lot of mistakes" and should not criticise others.
Banned Serbian tennis player Viktor Troicki was "innocent" of a doping violation and the country's Davis Cup team supported him, World No 1 Novak Djokovic said on Tuesday.
Rediff.com brings you players who have tested positive for use of banned substances over the years.
Serbia's former World No 12 Viktor Troicki has been handed an 18-month suspension by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) after violating doping regulations.
There was just gut-wrenching despair as Serbia's hopes slipped away in the cruellest fashion imaginable.
Images from Day VIII of the French Open at Roland Garros, Paris.
Novak Djokovic and his wife Jelena have tested negative for COVID-19, nine days after returning a positive test, the world number one tennis player's media team said on Thursday. Djokovic, along with Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki, tested positive after playing in the Adria Tour, an exhibition tournament organised by the 17-times Grand Slam champion.
Novak Djokovic trounced fellow Serb Viktor Troicki 6-1, 6-4 in the Dubai Championships first round on Tuesday as the world number one extended his unbeaten run to 14 matches.
Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna, who took on the All India Tennis Association to compete as a team at the London Olympics, have been seeded seventh in the men's doubles. The pair is placed a rung above the Serbian combination of singles' world No 2 Novak Djokovic and Viktor Troicki.
Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna, who took on the All India Tennis Association to compete as a team at the London Olympics, have been seeded seventh in the men's doubles. The pair is placed a rung above the Serbian combination of singles' world No 2 Novak Djokovic and Viktor Troicki.
World No. 4 Andy Murray trashed Serbian Viktor Troicki 6-0, 6-3 to book his place in the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters on Tuesday.
Roger Federer's run of 16 victories came to an end with a surprise defeat to American Andy Roddick in the third round of the Sony Ericsson Open on Monday, losing 7-6, 1-6, 6-4.
Djokovic, Coric, Grigor Dimitrov and Viktor Troicki all tested positive for COVID-19 after playing in the event in Serbia and Croatia, which drew big crowds and saw the players pose for pictures together.
Serbia celebrated their first Davis Cup title after Viktor Troicki thrashed France's Michael Llodra to secure a memorable 3-2 victory inside a rocking Belgrade Arena on Sunday.
Serbia kept alive their hopes of retaining the Davis Cup when Nenad Zimonjic and Viktor Troicki beat Juan Monaco and Juan Ignacio Chela 7-6, 6-4, 6-2 in Belgrade, on Saturday to leave them trailing 2-1 going into Sunday's singles.
The Indian duo of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi will take on the winner of the match between Serbs Janko Tipsarevic-Viktor Troicki and the Spanish combo of Marc Lopez-Rafael Nadal in the second round of the ATP Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati.
Serbia's Novak Djokovic pummelled France's Gael Monfils on Sunday to tie the Davis Cup final at 2-2 and set up a nailbiting climax later in the Belgrade Arena.
Images from Day 10 at the French Open in Paris, on Tuesday.
The Rohan Bopanna-Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi juggernaut continued to roll in the ATP BNP Paribas Open as the Indo-Pak pair advanced to the semifinals with a straight-set triumph over Serbs Novak Djokovic and Viktor Troicki in Indian Wells on Wednesday.
Third seeds Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi were left to rue missed opportunities as Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi out-witted them in straight sets to enter the doubles quarter-finals of the ATP BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.
Somdev Devvarman lost the first reverse singles in the Davis Cup World Group tie against Serbia, 4-6, 2-6, 5-7, to world No 18 Viktor Troicki, as India conceded an unredeemable 1-3 lead against the top seeds and defending champions.
World number one Novak Djokovic was disqualified from his US Open fourth round match against Pablo Carreno Busta on Sunday after the Serbian struck a line judge with a ball following a point.
Novak Djokovic ran into a spot of bother before seeing off Davis Cup team mate Viktor Troicki 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 to secure his place in the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters on Thursday. Czech Tomas Berdych booked his place for the ATP World Tour Finals with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Serb Janko Tipsarevic.
Fourth seed Rafa Nadal was stunned by Serb Viktor Troicki in an upset-filled Shanghai Masters second round on Wednesday while Andy Murray breezed past American Steve Johnson and Nick Kyrgios slumped to a listless defeat. Troicki, ranked 31st in the world, overcame Nadal 6-3 7-6(3) in an hour and 34 minutes to secure his first ever victory in five previous attempts against the 14-time grand slam winner. The unseeded Serb broke twice to seal the opening set before Nadal came back strongly in the second. The Spaniard saved a match point at 5-4 down but was defeated in the tiebreak.
The tough part starts now for Andy Murray, the 22-year-old Scot who is four victories away from giving Britain its first men's singles champion at Wimbledon since the days when they played in long trousers.
Andy Murray once again fills the prime time viewing slot on Centre Court late on Saturday, while five-time women's champion Venus Williams will have revenge on her mind against Carla Suarez Navarro.
Novak Djokovic recovered from a set down to defeat fellow Serb Viktor Troicki 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the second round of the Dubai Championships on Wednesday, while India's Somdev Devvarman lost to Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis.
Fourth seed Andy Murray battled into the French Open quarter-finals by beating Viktor Troicki 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 on Tuesday after the pair returned to court for a one-set shootout.
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