Tennis

Tired Djokovic to skip Davis Cup tie

Published Feb. 3, 2011 12:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Serbia's Novak Djokovic said Wednesday he will skip the defending Davis Cup champion's first-round series against India this weekend.

On his official website, the third-ranked Serb cited fatigue after winning the Australian Open and Dubai titles as the reason for missing the three-day series in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad.

Djokovic said he wants to prepare for the upcoming tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami, ''where I haven't done well in the last years.''

''So I really want to work hard and get some good results in the U.S.,'' he said.

Serbia is still a big favorite against India, with Viktor Troicki and Janko Tipsarevic playing singles instead. India also had a setback, with doubles pair Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi withdrawing with injuries. Paes has a wrist injury, while Bhupathi has a groin problem. They have been replaced by Karan Rastogi and Yuki Bhambri.

Somdev Devvarman and Rohan Bopanna are set to play the singles for India.

Serbia won its first Davis Cup title by beating France 3-2 in last year's final in Belgrade. India is bidding to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since 1996.

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