Belgrade: Police opened a probe after world number one Novak Djokovic’s statements on a possible fraud with tickets for this week’s Davis Cup World Group first round match between Serbia and Croatia, a minister said on Tuesday.
“We have been working intensively to clarify” the situation regarding the sale of tickets for the tie, to be played from Friday to Sunday, Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic told reporters.
“After the statements of Novak Djokovic, we decided to investigate and question all those linked to the sale of tickets and to determine as soon as possible if there were violations of the law,” he told the Blic daily.
Djokovic, who will lead the Serbian team, was surprised upon his arrival in Belgrade that all the tickets for the match were sold out in less than a quarter of an hour.
“That is impossible, it is clear that someone has committed a crime ... that harms both the national tennis federation and the national team,” the 27-year-old said.
Serbia’s tennis federation has decided that the match would be played in the central town of Kraljevo in a new hall with some 3,300 seats to further popularise tennis in the Balkans country.
Djokovic was named along with Viktor Troicki, who returns to the national team after serving a one-year doping suspension.
However, Croatia will be without US Open champion Marin Cilic, who had been initially selected but who has not played this season due to a right shoulder injury.
World number ten Cilic has been replaced by Franko Skugor, while Borna Coric, Mate Delic and Marin Draganja were also named in Croatia’s squad.
Serbia coach Bogdan Obradovic also named Filip Krajinovic and Nenad Zimonjic in the team.
