Novak Djokovic faces Gilles Simon in the second singles rubber on day one of the Davis Cup final between Serbia and France.

Djokovic has been building towards this throughout the indoor season and he’s not been shy from highlighting just how big Davis Cup success would be in Serbia’s sporting history. 

"It's very open, very unpredictable, and the help of the crowd will be very much necessary. We are expecting a packed arena and hopefully we will get a win," he said.

Simon is a surprise selection and French captain Guy Forget has taken a bit of a gamble on that front. Michael Llodra was the expected choice, having beaten Djokovic just weeks ago at the Paris Masters but Forget has opted to save Llodra for Saturday’s crucial doubles rubber to avoid the possibility of the Frenchman playing three matches in three days.

Few are giving Simon much chance given Djokovic’s dominant head-to-head record against him.  Djokovic has won five of their six matches and enjoyed an emphatic 6-3, 6-2 win in the China Open back in October.

Prediction: Djokovic to win in straight sets

More details:
Djokovic v Simon begins at 15.00 GMT