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Novak Djokovic has shared that he decided to play doubles with Miomir Kecmanovic at the Paris Masters because he wanted to get some preparation ahead of the Davis Cup Final 8. This week, Djokovic was playing his third doubles tournament of the year.
On Tuesday, Djokovic and fellow Serb Kecmanovic got off to a winning start in Paris as they ousted Gonzalo Escobar and Aleksandr Nedovyesov 6-4 6-2. The following day, Djokovic and Kecmanovic pulled out of their round-of-16 match against Rohan Bopanna and Matt Ebden.
Later this month, Djokovic will lead Serbia at the Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga. In the quarterfinal, Serbia will be taking on Great Britain. When asked if the upcoming Davis Cup Final 8 had something to do with him playing doubles in Paris, Djokovic revealed it was actually the main reason behind his decision. “Yes it is.
Actually it’s the main reason why we are playing here is trying to prepare for Davis Cup and have another I guess doubles pair, doubles combination that we can rely on. Obviously not ideal for the format of the Davis Cup that we have nowadays where it’s really decisive.
If you split wins after singles, doubles decides and we play Great Britain that obviously has had for decades the best doubles players in the world. So it’s going to be very tough and that’s why we’re trying to get as much of the doubles match play as we possibly can," Djokovic said.
Djokovic and Kecmanovic easily won their first-ever match as a pair
Djokovic and Kecmanovic opened a comfortable lead early on as they broke Escobar and Nedovyesov in the first and fifth games for a 4-1 lead. Djokovic and Kecmanovic lost one break in the sixth game but they held on to their second break to clinch the first set.
After winning the first set, Djokovic and Kecmanovic also made a great start to the second set as they again earned breaks in the first and fifth games for a 4-1 lead. Djokovic and Kecmanovic missed out on a match point in the seventh game but realized their second match on their serve in the eighth game. Djokovic and Kecmanovic were playing their first match as a duo.