Belgrade: World number one Novak Djokovic is not certain to play Friday's opening singles rubber in Serbia's Davis Cup semi-final against Argentina, coach Bogdan Obradovic said on Thursday.
Djokovic, who won his first US Open title in New York on Monday, arrived in Belgrade on Thursday and missed the draw which pitted him against David Nalbandian in the first match.
"For now, I will play, but the definite decision will be made tomorrow," Djokovic was quoted as saying by the official Serbian Tanjug news agency. "I am happy to be back and to be able to play in the Davis Cup."
"It is no secret that I am tired," Djokovic added. "But I love to play for my country."
The Serb needed more than four hours to beat Nadal in four grueling sets at Flushing Meadows and win his third Grand Slam title. He weathered back pain and cramping legs during the match and then a whirlwind of media commitments after it.
"We have a serious team of experts investing every effort to make sure Novak recuperates and I am quite confident he will be ready on Friday because he is the kind of player who doesn't need much time to recover," Obradovic told a news conference.
"Novak does not even need training here, just that half an hour before the match. So huge is his confidence, we can all feel that."
"No matter who is on the court, we expect the fans to throng the Belgrade Arena's terraces an hour before the tie starts in order to create the right kind of atmosphere."
"We have come here to win," Argentina captain Tito Vazquez said. "It will be very hard, but we are ready."
Janko Tipsarevic, who lost to compatriot Djokovic in their brutal US Open quarter-final clash when he had to retire with a thigh injury, takes on Juan Martin Del Potro in Friday's second singles.
Serbia's Nenad Zimonjic and Viktor Troicki - who will stand in for Djokovic if the world number one fails to recover from jetlag and fatigue - meet Juan Ignacio Chela and Juan Monaco in Saturday's doubles, with the reverse singles on Sunday.
"My injury is history, I have trained without feeling any pain in the past three days and hence I am looking forward to what should be a very entertaining match with Del Potro," said Tipsarevic.
"He hasn't had too much success this season but on his day, he is a phenomenal player capable of beating anyone in the world."
Last year, Djokovic pulled out of the opening match of the semi-finals against the Czech Republic because he needed rest after the US Open, where he lost to Rafael Nadal in the final. Troicki was a late replacement for Serbia on the opening day, while Djokovic played the reverse singles.
Troicki said: "We'll see how quickly Djokovic can recover from his exertions, if I am elected to play instead of him I will give all I have to win a point for Serbia."
Once the draw is made, a player cannot withdraw from the opening day's play without a medical certificate from an independent doctor.
The Serbs won their first Davis Cup title last year with a 3-2 win over France in the Belgrade Arena, where they are undefeated as a team, while Djokovic, who has only lost two matches on the ATP tour this year, also has a perfect singles record.
The 24-year old Belgrader also won the 2011 Australian Open and Wimbledon titles as he leapt over Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to the pinnacle of the rankings.
The second semi-final is between Spain and France, with world number two Rafael Nadal also expected to be in action.
If Spain and Serbia win, Nadal and Djokovic could meet again in the final beginning December 2, which would be hosted by defending champions Serbia.
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