Teamwork, camaraderie - the Serbian way

The celebrations were kickstarted when Viktor Troicki beat Michael Llodra to complete Serbia's 3-2 victory and their first Davis Cup triumph.

After they lifted the trophy, the Serbians marched into the press centre and stood on a table as they sang a national battlesong which also reverberated from the sound system and spurred them on during breaks in Sunday's singles.

"All for one and one for all, that's how these boys operate and their fantastic team spirit and friendship is what made this happen," said Niki Pilic, advisor to Serbia's team captain Bogdan Obradovic.

"These players are not just team-mates, they are also mates off the court and they do things together, which is such a huge advantage for a Davis Cup side," he said.  “After losing Saturday's doubles, we all sat on the floor in the hotel room to talk things over and then we made the decision who will play in the fifth tie."

World number three Novak Djokovic, who won both his singles matches in thr final, added: "Individually or team, this is the best achievement of our careers and one of the biggest for our country."

"They are like brothers to me, the closest people I have and to win the Davis Cup with them is an unbelievable feeling, I am at a loss for words to describe it," Troicki said.
"It will probably take a few days to sink in and for my emotions to start coming out."

Having described his opening singles defeat to Radek Stepanek in Serbia's semifinal win over the Czechs as the worst in his life, Troicki finally delivered for his country under the greatest possible pressure.

Troicki, seen by a number of Serbian pundits as a player with ample talent and weak nerves, punched the air to show his soaring confidence after producing his best shots at the most critical moments against Llodra.