Novak Djokovic has set his sights on derailing Andy Murray and Britain’s Davis Cup hopefuls in Malaga next week.
The world No1 had been in danger of crashing out of the ATP Finals on Thursday, despite a three-set win over Hubert Hurkacz.
But Jannik Sinner, who had previously beaten Djokovic in the round-robin format, beat Holger Rune to ensure both he and the Serbian made it through to the semi-finals in Turin.
Having won three of the season’s four Grand Slams, Djokovic has set his sights on ending the season on a high both in Italy this week and Spain next week, where he will spearhead Serbia’s ambitions against Britain.
Of that challenge, he said: “The season is not finished yet. Davis Cup is next week.
"I really would like to win the Davis Cup with Serbia. That’s a goal. Next week is an important week for us, for our nation. We’ll do our best.”
Djokovic has won the Davis Cup previously back in 2010 but knows his chances are increasingly limited in the twilight of his career.
And he backed Sinner, Rune and Carlos Alcaraz as the players set to eclipse him, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to become the next big three of men’s tennis.
He said: “The generation of Alcaraz, Rune, Sinner is very strong. It’s probably the three players that will carry this sport in the future but also in the present because they are right at the top of the game, all of them.”
Nadal has said that he has every intention of returning to the ATP Tour in 2024 after undergoing hip surgery.
And Djokovic said of his long-time rival: “It would be nice for the sport to have at least one more match between Nadal and me. It’s amazing news that he’ll be back.”
