However, the squad made the decision to swap Cacic for the higher-ranked Filip Krajinovic, to give Serbia the best chance of beating the top-ranked doubles pairing and win the tie.
Despite Team Serbia and Djokovic’s best efforts, it was the singles world No 1 who lost to the world No 1 doubles team 7-5 6-1, as Croatia advanced to their third final in five years.
Speaking after the match, the 20-time Major champion admitted he didn’t think his home nation would be able to win the prestigious team event without a strong doubles team in the future.
“We tried. It didn’t work,” the world No 1 said, following his team’s attempt to win their first Davis Cup crown since 2011.