Debutants Serbia are ATP World Team champs

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 11:32

Singles victories for Viktor Troicki and Janko Tipsarevic gave newcomers Serbia victory over five-time champions Germany at the ATP World Team Championship in Dusseldorf.

Troicki downed Rainer Schuettler 6-4 7-6(5), while Tipsarevic trounced Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-2 6-4 for an unassailable 2-0 lead with the doubles rubber remaining.

“It’s tough to explain,” Troicki said. “Pretty much, I can not believe it. If someone told me before this week that we would win here this week, honestly, I wouldn’t believe him.”

“I think it is going to be huge – this is respect because Djokovic was not here” – Tipsarevic

Overall, the Serbs, playing in the eight-team tournament for the first time, won nine of their 12 matches and Saturday kept Germany from winning its fifth World Team title – a feat made all the more impressive by the absence of world No.4 Novak Djokovic from the side.

“I think it is going to be huge and this is respect because Djokovic was not here,” Tipsarevic after sealing Serbia’s victory. “I really played well because I was 100% prepared for the match.”

Serbia, which hosted its first ATP Tour event in Belgrade earlier this month, became the first country since Yugoslavia in 1990 to win the cup on their debut appearance – not that any of that mattered much to the dejected German team after being beaten on their own turf.

“I cannot be satisfied with my game,” said Kohlschreiber. “Nothing was working at the back,” he said of his error-ridden performance.

Nicolas Kiefer and Mischa Zverev restored a little pride for the Germans in the dead doubles rubber, downing Troicki and Nenad Zimonjic 7-5 4-6 10-7.

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