Before the battle with Serbia, he raises bold ambitions: “The goal is victory”

At first glance, life in Niš flows in a usual groove.

The city of 180,000 inhabitants is an important center of Serbia’s economy, especially in electronics, mechanical engineering, textiles, and tobacco industries, but it has forgotten the nickname “city of emperors,” once earned due to the Roman emperors who lived there, including Constantine I.

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On Thursday evening, life in Niš went at a calm pace of a city the size of Klaipėda, with residents quietly filling outdoor cafes as the temperature in September dropped from +30 during the day to a more pleasant +24 in the evening.

Even sleepy cats rested peacefully, as if sensing that more interesting events in Niš were still ahead.

Meanwhile, at the Čair arena in the city center, Lithuanian tennis players held their second training session of the day.

In the evening, team coach Laurynas Grigelis and scout Tadas Babelis appeared in the Čair hall to warm up our tennis players with playful exercises.

The 5,000-seat arena, built back in 1974 and renovated in 2011, probably looked better before, but the Serbian national team facing Lithuania now is not in its ideal lineup either.

Serbia’s tennis icon Novak Djokovic is not in Niš.

Although most think that the 39-year-old legend’s poor condition at the recent “U.S. Open” tournament, where the record holder of Grand Slam titles (24) fell in the first round, has another explanation.

It is quietly said that N. Djokovic belongs to a different political camp than Serbia’s president Aleksandar Vučić, a populist autocrat who has ruled the country since 2017 and has recently been targeted by protests from students and other activists.

Sports have always been a big part of Serbian politics, and N. Djokovic currently does not want to participate in the process, even if the national team is now facing not the easiest times.

The 2010 Davis Cup champions, the Serbs, lost the chance to reach the finals this year when they lost 0-4 away to Chile in the spring and now face a tough fight with Lithuania, which celebrated a victory over Israel and now has the opportunity to compete with an elite tennis nation team.

Tickets costing 4 euros for the matches on Saturday and Sunday in Niš were still slowly selling out on Thursday. About half were sold, but locals said the habit of buying tickets at the last minute would revive over the weekend, especially since Serbia has assembled a stronger team than the one that competed in Chile.

Despite this, watching our players’ training on the blue “hard” court in Niš, Lithuanian Tennis Union president Ramūnas Grušas hoped that our young national team would challenge the Serbs on their home court.

We talked with R. Grušas about the upcoming match at the Niš arena, alongside the Lithuanians’ rehearsal.

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– Ramūnas, what are the expectations surrounding the renewed Lithuanian national team?

– The team’s goal is victory. Achieving it probably won’t be easy, even though Serbia’s number one player is not playing. The opponents are still threatening without him. I think this is one of the strongest teams we have faced, except for Argentina.

– What does Novak Djokovic’s absence mean?

– On one hand, it means less pressure on the team members. Despite that, we see that these are strong opponents; two of their players are regular top 100 ranked players, competing in most “Grand Slam” tournaments. The opponent is definitely strong.

– News was awaited for a long time – will N. Djokovic play? How did the players react to the news that he would not?

– Of course, our players hoped their best athlete would play.

But it was not surprising to us that he declined. He hasn’t played for the national team recently, and there are probably unofficial reasons unknown to us why Novak cannot represent Serbia. In the last match, the Serbs lost to Chile (0-4 away), which was a tough match for the Serbs without Novak (other top 100 Serbian players also did not play).

Now they feel the threat of falling lower if they lose this match. For a team like Serbia, that would be a big blow. I think Novak would have ensured their victory.

As of today, the strengths may not be equal, but I believe it is possible to win.

– What influence does the additional political context have on the match (in basketball games against Kaunas “Žalgiris” in the Euroleague, “Crvena zvezda” fans recently raised Russian symbolism, – editor’s note).

– I won’t hide it – we talked and thought about it. However, we hope that tennis fans are different from those of other team sports, so it is likely that there will be no political undertone. But we are not guaranteed that.

– How does everything look from the organizational side?

– Today we see that conditions are good for both teams. Everything meets the requirements. Both teams, including our national team, are fully satisfied as they are provided with everything. It is clear that Serbia understands this sport, knows how to organize it, and it is no coincidence they have elite players.

– What impression does the not-so-young arena give?

– The arena is not only not young, but it is also not adapted for tennis. It is a multifunctional arena, but for players, the most important things are the surface and lighting. In this regard, standards are met. I think the stands will be half full, at least judging by ticket sales. The atmosphere will be heated; it should be fun.

– How many Lithuanians do you expect in the stands?

– Theoretically, we know about 50 should come, but it is still hard to say exactly.

– Are there organizational things worth learning from?

I think there are none worth copying. We ourselves are already advanced in organizational skills; so far, nothing has surprised us.

– How do our team leaders look?

– I think our two leaders – Vilius Gaubas and Edas Butvilas – are well prepared; it is time for them to show results and prove they can snatch a victory against the Serbian team.

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