John Isner of the United States will make his Davis Cup debut against Viktor Troicki in the first round against Serbia on Friday.
The draw on Thursday pits Sam Querrey against second-ranked Novak Djokovic for the second singles. In doubles Saturday, top-ranked Bob and Mike Bryan will face Nenad Zimonjic and Janko Tipsarevic.
This will be the first time since 2000 that neither Andy Roddick nor James Blake will be on the U.S. team. Serbia will be trying to progress beyond the first round in the World Group for the first time.
"Once I get a few games under my belt, I'm going to be fine,'' Isner said of his first Davis Cup appearance in front of an expected crowd of 20,000 at Belgrade Arena.
U.S. team captain Patrick McEnroe said the Serbs are the favorites, especially since the match will be played on a slow clay court not preferred by the Americans.
"They have the No. 2 player in the world and three other good players,'' McEnroe said. "But each match is winnable for us and it's going to be close.''
Troicki, ranked 35th, said playing on clay could be to his advantage against Isner, who is ranked 20th after good results at the start of this season.
"Isner is a great player, but the slow surface is not his favorite,'' Troicki said. "I know what I have to do to beat him.''
Djokovic, fresh from a tournament victory in Dubai, insisted the Americans should not be underestimated despite the absence of Roddick, the top U.S. player who asked not to be included this time.
"I played Querrey last year in Monaco on clay and beat him in two sets,'' Djokovic said. "But he's now a much better player as he has progressed a lot.''
The doubles could be crucial for the outcome of the best-of-five series.
"The Serbs can hurt us, but we have something we can hit them back with — the twins' telepathy,'' said a joking Mike Bryan.
