By Chris Oddo | Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray will help their nation's get the 2015 World Group underway on the first weekend of March.
Photo Source: AFP
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will help his Serbian team in battle against Croatia in Kraljevo on the first weekend in March, while Andy Murray will join team Great Britain against the United States in Glasgow.
More Davis Cup: Federer out for 2015
Djokovic and Murray’s decisions to play come as a relief to fans of the sport’s international team tennis competition, as Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka and Tomas Berdych have already announced that they will not play.
Recruiting top ten players to compete despite the fact that their already busy tour schedules are packed to the hilt has always been a major challenge for Davis Cup. But there’s plenty to get excited about during next month’s World Group ties, as Kei Nishikori and Milos Raonic have also been nominated for their countries.
The competition has been criticized regularly for asking too much of players, and many feel that it is long overdue for a format change that would make it more palatable to today’s stars, who have prioritized Grand Slam titles and other high-prestige events above Davis Cup.
Unfortunately, things already look bleak for defending champion Switzerland. They will travel to Belgium without a single player ranked inside the ATP’s top 290.
Federer, who helped lead Switzerland to its first title in 2014, has said that he will not compete at all in 2015.
"It's been a big burden for me throughout my career and one of the things that have caused more difficulties in my life than many other things, I must say,” Federer said on Monday in Dubai, according to the AP. “I always feel there is so much guilt put on you from the federation or from the ITF more so than anybody else. So I'm happy I was able to finally tick that off and do it altogether."
Djokovic has not played Davis Cup since the 2013 final, a 3-2 loss to the Czechs in Belgrade.
Click here to read more about today’s nominations on the official Davis Cup homepage.