Novak Djokovic (Photo : Getty Images)
Novak Djokovic's next stop will be a potential match against career rival Rafael Nadal, with the Serb skipping Davis Cup after a shocking exit at Wimbledon.
Djokovic's next tournament will be at the Rogers Cup, where the world No. 1 has a chance to face a returning Nadal who is scheduled to play his first tournament in Toronto coming off injury. According to Sky Sports, Djokovic is set to skip Serbia's Davis Cup tie against Great Britain on July 15 following his shocking loss against American Sam Querrey at Wimbledon.
"No, I am not going to play in the Davis Cup," Djokovic said when asked about his participation in the Davis Cup.
Djokovic, who was the favorite to win in Church Road after completing his first career Grand Slam, suffered only his fourth loss of the season in the hands of Querrey. Despite being halted by rain after being down two sets, Djokovic was unable to turn the match around losing 7-6(6) 6-1 3-6 7-6(5).
It is undetermined whether Djokovic's recent loss play a factor in his decision not to play against Andy Murray and Great Britain, but with the Serb skipping the event, his return to the tennis scene would likely be at the ATP 1000 Masters in Toronto, and play against the likes of Nadal, who is coming off a left wrist injury that forced him to miss Wimbledon.
Djokovic has faced Nadal twice this year and has won all of their last seven meetings, most recently in the semifinal round of Indian Wells. On the other hand, Nadal's last victory over Djokovic was in a title-clinching win back in 2014 at Roland Garros.
Considering Djokovic's form, he would likely bounce back from a stunning loss same as what he did winning the Madrid Open after an unexpected defeat from Jiri Vesely in the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters. Djokovic insisted that despite losing the chance to win Wimbledon and get him closer to a completing a calendar Slam, he knows what to do to quickly get back on the winning track.
"It's not the first time that I've lost a Grand Slam match, or any match for that matter. I know what to do. First things first - put my mind at ease and just relax. Think about something different. I'm going to move on from this hopefully as a stronger player," Djokovic said.
