Russia beat Serbia after ill Djokovic quits

By Gennady Fyodorov

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia beat Serbia in the Davis Cup when an unwell Novak Djokovic retired from his match against Nikolay Davydenko, handing the home team an unassailable 3-1 lead in their first-round tie on Sunday.

The Australian Open champion had won the first two sets and was 3-0 up in the third despite being way below his best and often struggling for breath after suffering from flu symptoms in the last few days.

However, Davydenko staged a miraculous recovery to win the third set 6-4, after which the Serbian decided to quit.

"I stopped because I didn't want to risk my health," Djokovic told reporters after showing up for a news conference more than an hour after his match.

"I didn't go to hospital after all but still, I was feeling very dizzy. I was losing a lot of energy. It's not easy to play when you have a virus infection."

A Serbian team spokesman had earlier said Djokovic was taken to a local hospital suffering from exhaustion.

The home team had led 2-0 after sweeping both singles matches on Friday but Djokovic kept alive Serbia's hopes when he teamed up with Nenad Zimonjic to win Saturday's doubles.

With Serbia number two Janko Tipsarevic also sidelined by a stomach bug and ankle injury, the visitors gambled on the unfit Djokovic to challenge the Russian number one.