With no Novak Djokovic competing for Serbia, can Norway pull off this upset in this Davis Cup tie? Whilst the state of Norway’s tennis is as good as it’s ever been headlined by current world #4 Casper Ruud who is coming off a stunning 2022 with two Grand Slam finals, another final at the ATP Finals, alongside a few titles, it’s unfortunate to see the 24-year-old skip out on this tie against Serbia.
Davis Cup Predictions: Norway vs Serbia
Andreja Petrovic vs Miomir Kecmanovic
Head-to-head: 0-0
Although it wasn’t sustained for the whole year, there’s no doubt 2022 was a huge step in the right direction for the Serb, breaking the Top 40 for the first time and more than a handful of quarterfinals made. With David Nalbandian leaving the camp it will be interesting to see how the 23-year-old improves from here but one thing for sure is whilst he may lack firepower and weapons, against someone ranked outside of the world’s top 1000 it’s clear and obvious being his usual solid self will yield a very easy victory here.
Prediction: Kecmanovic in 2
Viktor Durasovic vs Laslo Djere
Head-to-head: 0-0
Whilst Durasovic is not ranked outside the top 1000 like his teammate, he’s still just ranked outside the world’s top 350. Likewise, he’s also playing one of the most solid players in the world in Laslo Djere on the other side of the net. The only thing going for the Norweigens in this case is that they’ve chosen a hard court, something where Djere’s results have been lacking compared to clay. If Durasovic can rush the Serb and keep on top of rallies he could make this interesting but it’s a tough ask, a very tough one.
Prediction: Djere in 2
Andreja Petrovic vs Laslo Djere
Head-to-head: 0-0
If we somehow even get to the point where we have a final singles match to determine the outcome of the tie it would be a miracle on the Norweigen side of things. Saying that, the Serbian Djere has a history of getting tight and choking when it matters but against the world #1265 who has no real weapons? We all know the outcome of this match let alone this whole tie.
Prediction: Djere in 2
Viktor Durasovic vs Miomor Kecmanovic
Head-to-head: 0-0
With the matchups reversed for the second batch of singles matches, there isn’t much hope for Norway left with the tie potentially even over at this point. If it isn’t however, it’s more of the same yet again. Without a doubt Durasovic will provide a much stiffer test for Kecmanovic but it’s hard to see him being heavily pushed let alone losing regardless of the crowd and performance he puts in.
Prediction: Kecmanovic in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
