BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) Returning to the court after an elbow injury, Novak Djokovic will play Albert Ramos Vinolas in Friday's opening singles match when Serbia meets Spain in the Davis Cup quarterfinals.
Thursday's draw also pits Viktor Troicki against Pablo Carreno Busta in the best-of-five series played on an indoor hard court in the Serbian capital.
On Saturday, the doubles will feature Nenad Zimonjic and Troicki against Marc Lopez and Jaume Munar. Reverse singles are scheduled for Sunday.
Djokovic has dropped from his No. 1 ranking after a slump in form following his French Open title last year. He withdrew from Miami Open because of a lingering right elbow injury.
Spain will be without its two top-ranked players, Rafael Nadal and Roberto Bautista Agut.
''We must not underestimate them,'' Djokovic said. ''The fact that Nadal and Agut did not come means nothing.''
He said that he has been training ''with full capacity'' the last few days to improve his form.
Spain, a five-time champion, is trying to make the semifinals for the first time since 2012. Djokovic led Serbia to its only title in 2010.
