Davis Cup 2016: Serbia vs Kazakhstan first round preview

Novak Djokovic is “optimistic” he could play for Serbia in their World Group first round tie against Kazakhstan at the Davis Cup this weekend after recovering from an eye problem that caused him a chance to conquer the Dubai Tennis Championships last month.

Djokovic, who led Serbia to a Davis Cup title in 2010, suffered an eye problem during his stint in Dubai, where he retired hurt in the quarterfinals of the tournament against Spain’s Feliciano Lopez. Conjunctivitis was suspected to have struck the Serb during a photoshoot in Wild Wadi waterpark hotel pool prior to the tournament. It has put Djokovic’s participation at the Davis Cup in limbo.

"All is going well regarding my recovery, and I am optimistic about playing in the tie," Djokovic said, reports Reuters. “I was very skeptical about playing at first, but I still have two days left to adapt to the light and other indoor conditions, and hopefully I will be OK."

The eye problem halted Djokovic’s winning streak and was the Serb’s only defeat in the season, after winning the Qatar Open and earning his 11 th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January.

Meanwhile, Serbia will meet Kazakhstan at the Davis Cup for the first time, but the Djokovic-led country, who includes a lineup consisting of Viktor Troicki, Filip Krajinovic and Nenad Zimonjic, is still the favourite to win over Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin, Aleksandr Nedovyesov, Andrey Golubev and Dmitry Popko.

Serbia, which hosts Kazakhstan at the Pionir Hall in Belgrade, lost to Argentina in last year’s final eight round, while the Middle Eastern country was also defeated at the same stage by Australia. The winner of the first round tie will have a chance for a quarterfinal showdown with either Japan or Great Britain, who won last year’s Davis Cup finals against Belgium.