Davis Cup Update

Last weekend the Davis Cup semi-finals were held at two different venues in Serbia and France. Both host nations won their respective ties in front of their home crowd. Serbia as host nation will continue using the HEAD ATP balls in the final showdown in December.

US Open runner-up Novak Djokovic sparked Serbia into a first-ever Davis Cup final, with the nation set to face nine-time champion France after a 3-2 defeat of the Czech Republic.

HEAD's Djokovic kept a fairytale season alive, rising to the occasion with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 defeat of Tomas Berdych to level their semi-final 2-2 with the Czechs. Janko Tipsarevic finished the job in the deciding fifth rubber over he beat Radek Stepanek 6-0, 7-6, 6-4.

The recovery was perfect for Djokovic, who was unable to play his first singles due to fatigue from his US Open final against Rafael Nadal. "It was a smart decision for me to skip the singles on Friday because I didn't feel well all day," said Djokovic. "We expected this tie to go down the wire. I was not able to recuperate quickly enough after flying from New York. I'm glad to still have an unbeaten record at the Belgrade Arena. It's great to reach the final."

France booked its spot with a 5-0 sweep of Argentina indoors in Lyon as new father Gilles Simon contributed a reverse singles point with his in a defeat Eduardo Schwank 7-6, 6-7, 6-3. Fellow HEAD player Horacio Zeballos was beaten by Arnaud Clement in the dead rubber 7-5, 6-1.

The use of the HEAD ATP ball reflects the express desire of captains and players, with each host nation allowed to choose its own preferred ball, a key strategic decision in the victory strategy.

You can find the most-used ball in Davis Cup at your tennis retailer. And watch the HEAD Racquet Rebels playing with the HEAD ATP balls in Valencia, Basel, Paris Bercy and finally at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London!

http://www.daviscup.com