MATCH REPORT | 2023 Davis Cup: Masterful Novak DJOKOVIC impresses with win over Cam NORRIE securing semifinal spot

Novak Djokovic defeated Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-3, securing a spot for Team Serbia in the Davis Cup semifinals. Despite recently winning the ATP Finals in Turin and finishing the ATP Tour season as the world No. 1, Djokovic quickly traveled from Turin to Malaga to contribute to Serbia's Davis Cup campaign.

Expressing his desire for Serbia to win the prestigious team event, Djokovic played a crucial role in the quarterfinals against Great Britain. The first match of the day featured a closely contested battle between Miomir Keckmanovic and Jack Draper, with Serbia securing a 7-6(2), 7-6(6) victory.

With Serbia in the lead, Djokovic's victory in the singles match against Norrie would seal the overall win for his country before the doubles. The pressure was on Norrie to defeat the world No. 1 and keep the British team in contention.

In the first set, Djokovic, despite the limited rest since the ATP Finals, displayed good physical form. He secured an early break after 18 minutes of play, taking a 4-2 lead on his serve. Although Djokovic had four break points in the following game, Norrie managed to fend them off. Djokovic maintained his dominance on serve, winning 94% of points with his first serve and 81% with his second, ultimately clinching the set 6-4.

In the second set, 'Nole' capitalized on the momentum to secure another break, this time to love, and solidify the partial lead against Norrie. In the fifth game, Norrie had to fend off 5 break points against Djokovic's aggressive play from the backhand, winning exchanges with the Briton's forehand. 'Nole' didn't need additional breaks and closed out the match with relative ease, 6-4, 6-4.  

With this result, Serbia advances to the semifinals, where they will face Italy. Italy secured their spot by winning a closely contested series against the Netherlands, with Jannik Sinner contributing victories in singles and doubles alongside Lorenzo Sonego. This sets up a third encounter between Sinner and Djokovic in just 11 days, following Sinner's win in the round-robin stage and Djokovic's victory in the ATP Finals final.