Davis Cup: Novak Djokovic vs. David Nalbandian

It's been a case of 'will he, won't he' over the past couple of days with speculation building over Djokovic's participation in the opening rubber of this Davis Cup tie. After that exhausting US Open final on Monday night, would he feel physically and mentally prepared to go best of five again just three days later ?

It was a question Argentina desperately wanted answered with their team tactics resting on this knowledge. If Djokovic was to compete, the plan was to throw Juan Monaco in as a sacrificial lamb to the all-conquering one, thereby saving Nalbandian for later in the tie. If he wasn't then Nalbandian would offer the best hope of success.

Predictably, the Serbs and Djokovic remained coy and so we have the following match-up on paper. We should not doubt Djokovic's powers of recovery, after all his 2011 exploits have been so superhuman but Argentina will be desperately hoping that Djokovic opts to rest until day two and so Viktor Troicki is drafted in.

However my inkling is that Djokovic will play. This time last year he sat out the opening day of Serbia's clash with the Czech Republic and it almost cost them the tie which all came down to a dramatic fifth rubber. He will not want to risk that this year and he'll power on through this match to give his country a 1-0 lead.