BELGRADE // With Serbia crippled by injuries and suspensions, all eyes will be on Novak Djokovic to lead his country to its second Davis Cup title, over the defending champions from the Czech Republic.
The second-ranked Serb, who is on a 22-match unbeaten run, has to do what he has done numerous times in the past: win both singles matches to give the small Balkan country a chance in the best-of-five series, starting Friday.
However, Serbia’s prospects grew dimmer yesterday when Janko Tipsarevic was ruled out of the final with a heel injury.
Serbia will also miss Viktor Troicki, the star of the 2010 Davis Cup home victory over France. Troicki is out because of a 12-month suspension for skipping a doping-test-related blood test in April.
The draw pitted Djokovic against Radek Stepanek and Tipsarevic’s replacement, Dusan Lajovic, against Tomas Berdych in Friday’s opening singles.
The doubles are scheduled for Saturday and the reverse singles will be contested Sunday.
“It’s a real drawback for our team that we don’t have both Janko and Viktor,” Djokovic said. “I hope that I can win the first match, the first point is very important as it could release pressure on Lajovic.”
The 117th-ranked Lajovic has played only one Davis Cup match, a dead rubber, and has no major victories against top players on the ATP Tour.
“I’m very excited that I’ll play on Friday,” Lajovic, 23, said. “With the support of the crowd, I could maybe surprise Berdych.”
Berdych said he has never watched Lajovic play and will try to adjust to his game. “I will do some scouting before the match,” Berdych said. “It is good that this is a best-of-five match and I’ll have time to adjust.”
Berdych, who has a 13-1 record in Davis Cup doubles with Stepanek, predicted the doubles will decide the winner.
Djokovic said that although he has not played many doubles matches in recent years, he would be ready on Saturday, if needed.
First, he has to focus on the match against Stepanek before deciding whether he would play the maximum three matches in three days.
“Stepanek is a very tricky player,” Djokovic said of the Czech veteran. “He likes to rush to the net and change the rhythm of the match.”
Stepanek said the fact that he is not favoured to win against Djokovic may help his play.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Stepanek said. “My advantage is that no one expects me to beat Novak.”
Djokovic has won his past four tournaments, including the ATP finals in London, where he beat the top-ranked Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-4 in the final on Monday.
The Czechs are in the final for the third time in five years.
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The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The five pillars of Islam
Company%20Profile
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Scorline
Iraq 1-0 UAE
Iraq Hussein 28’
Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule
Thursday December 27
Men's quarter-finals
Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm
Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm
Women's exhibition
Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm
Friday December 28
5th place play-off 3pm
Men's semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm
Saturday December 29
3rd place play-off 5pm
Men's final 7pm
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How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
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SPECS
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Company%20Profile
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BELGIUM%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3EGoalkeepers%3A%20Thibaut%20Courtois%2C%20Simon%20Mignolet%2C%20Koen%20Casteels%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EDefenders%3A%20Jan%20Vertonghen%2C%20Toby%20Alderweireld%2C%20Leander%20Dendoncker%2C%20Zeno%20Debast%2C%20Arthur%20Theate%2C%20Wout%20Faes%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EMidfielders%3A%20Hans%20Vanaken%2C%20Axel%20Witsel%2C%20Youri%20Tielemans%2C%20Amadou%20Onana%2C%20Kevin%20De%20Bruyne%2C%20Yannick%20Carrasco%2C%20Thorgan%20Hazard%2C%20Timothy%20Castagne%2C%20Thomas%20Meunier%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EForwards%3A%20Romelu%20Lukaku%2C%20Michy%20Batshuayi%2C%20Lo%C3%AFs%20Openda%2C%20Charles%20De%20Ketelaere%2C%20Eden%20Hazard%2C%20Jeremy%20Doku%2C%20Dries%20Mertens%2C%20Leandro%20Trossard%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
Company profile
Date started: December 24, 2018
Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer
Based: Dubai Media City
Number of employees: 42 (34 in Dubai and a tech team of eight in Ankara, Turkey)
Sector: ConsumerTech and FinTech
Cashflow: Almost $1 million a year
Funding: Series A funding of $2.5m with Series B plans for May 2020
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)