Novak Djokovic Won't Play in Upcoming Davis Cup, Says Bogdan Obradovic

An arduous and abrasive season looks to have taken it’s toll on Novak Djokovic, after it was declared the Serbian will not play in his nation’s Davis Cup playoff match in Bangalore, India. 

Serbia’s non-playing captain Bogdan Obradovic announced that current world No. 1 will not travel to the subcontinent, citing fatigue as the reason for his withdrawal, per Serbian website Novosti.rs (h/t Mihia Vasavda of the Indian Express):

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Our best player Novak Djokovic is definitely not coming to India. The biggest reason is fatigue.

Novak had a very hard part of the season and he needs a break, a trip to India requires a huge effort, not only in terms of travel, coming from one end of the planet to the other, from New York to Bangalore, but also to the harsh conditions of the game here, high humidity and high altitude.

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Darko Vojinovic/Associated Press

The current Wimbledon Champion suffered a shock defeat in New York at the US Open, when he was dumped out in the semi-final by Kei Nishikori. Following that draining clash, the 27-year-old admitted that he was unsure about his participation in the playoff game, per Vasavda's piece.

Now the decision has been made to withdraw, and it’s little surprise when you consider the effort the Serb puts into every single one of his matches. Typically there are few players on the planet who can cope with Djokovic’s fitness and intensity, but there were signs in his defeat at Flushing Meadows that he was beginning to feel the effects of a long season and some recuperation time was need.

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Serbia now must negotiate their way through the tie without their talisman, and all of a sudden, victory in the match looks a long way off. Especially when you consider Djokovic's expected replacement—Ilija Bozoljac—is currently ranked as No. 171 in the world, per atpworldtour.com.

The news will come as a major blow to both the organisers and the Indian supporters, who will have been keen to see such a phenomenal player in action. But with the men’s game currently as competitive as it has ever been, the man from Belgrade can’t afford to put himself through anymore duress if he feels that his performance will be subsequently compromised.