Serbia, led by Novak Djokovic, is looking to qualify for its first Davis Cup quarterfinal when it meets a weakened United States team in Belgrade this weekend.
This will be the first time since 2000 that neither Andy Roddick nor James Blake will be on the U.S. Davis Cup roster, a span of 25 ties. The Americans lead all nations with 32 Davis Cup titles, while Serbia has never progressed beyond the first round in the World Group.
The U.S. team to play on an indoor clay court at Belgrade Arena comprises John Isner, Sam Querrey and the top-ranked doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan.
Besides the world's second-ranked player Djokovic, Serbia will have Viktor Troicki, Janko Tipsarevic and doubles specialist Nenad Zimonjic in its team.
``Even though the Americans did not come here with their best team, they shouldn't be underestimated,'' Djokovic said Wednesday. ``Isner is one of the best servers in the game, and Querrey moves real well on the court.''
Djokovic called on boisterous Serbian fans to pack the 20,000-capacity arena, saying ``with their support we can get to the quarterfinals, which would be a great success for our national team.''
Fresh off a title in Dubai, Djokovic said he felt confident.
Tipsarevic, who beat fourth-ranked Andy Murray in Dubai last week, said the Serbs were ``mild favorites'' against the Americans. He said the court choice could be to Serbia's advantage.
``We have the home advantage, and the clay certainly is not their favorite surface,'' Tipsarevic said.
Despite good form shown at the start of this year, both Isner and Querrey dropped out in the first round on clay in Acapulco last week. The doubles, played on Saturday, could be crucial for the outcome of the best-of-five series starting Friday.
``It's going to be tough, it's probably going to be the most hostile atmosphere we've ever played in,'' Mike Bryan said. ``We know that the doubles point is huge and it could be the swing point so we're going to treat it like a Grand Slam final and try to win.''
