Novak Djokovic competing in the "unique" Davis Cup so soon after winning the US Open comes as an honour for tournament director Feliciano Lopez.
Serbia's Djokovic defeated Daniil Medvedev to equal Margaret Court's record of 24 grand slam triumphs after a straight-sets victory earlier in September.
At 36 years and 111 days, Djokovic became the oldest winner of the men's singles title at the US Open, as well as winning three majors in a year for the fourth time in his career.
That saw him surpass Roger Federer – who won three grand slams in a year on three occasions – but unlike the Swiss star, Djokovic has shown no signs of slowing down.
The 36-year-old was straight back into action just five days later, overcoming Alejandro Davidovich to help Serbia into the Davis Cup quarter-finals with victory over Spain.
Former Spanish tennis player and now tournament director Lopez hailed the endeavours of Djokovic for appearing in Valencia in such a short period after victory in the United States.
"As you can imagine having Novak here in Valencia this week is such an honour first of all," Lopez told Stats Perform.
"I personally appreciate a lot what he's done by coming here after winning the US Open because I know how tough it is to win a slam and then three or four days after put yourself in a position to compete again at the highest level.
"I don't think I can thank him enough that he's here ready to compete, ready to represent his country.
"I have to take my hat off and say thank you and wish him all the best for the rest of the week."
Djokovic has reiterated his commitment to helping Serbia to a second title in the men's Davis Cup, a tournament that Lopez believes is different to any other.
"I think the fact that you're representing your country is one of the things that I wanted to say [about what makes it special] because tennis is an individual sport where you normally play for yourself," he added.
"Whenever you have the chance to play for your team-mates, for your country and for a lot of people that you know, they put in a lot of efforts during that particular week to make everything happen.
"For me, it's the most special thing and unique."
Haaland becomes Norway's record scorer with Slovenia brace
Erling Haaland became Norway's all-time leading scorer with a brace in their 3-0 victory over Slovenia.
The Manchester City striker was captaining his first nation for the first time, and marked the occasion in trademark record-breaking fashion.
Haaland broke the deadlock after just seven minutes of the Nations League clash at the Ullevaal Stadium, where Alexander Sorloth doubled the lead seven minutes after the restart.
Sorloth then turned provider just after the hour mark for Haaland, who broke Jorgen Juve's 87-year record with his 34th international goal in just 36 caps.
The result put Norway firmly in charge of Group B3 with seven points, three ahead of Austria and Slovenia, with Kazakhstan propping up the table on one point.
Italy 2-2 Belgium: Trossard completes comeback to deny 10-man hosts
Italy dropped their first points of this Nations League campaign, as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Belgium in Rome.
The 10-man Azzurri, who had Lorenzo Pellegrini sent off, were pegged back from 2-0 up at Stadio Olimpico, where Maxim De Cuyper and Leandro Trossard cancelled out earlier efforts from Andrea Cambiaso and Mateo Retegui.
Just 59 seconds had elapsed when Italy broke the deadlock as Federico Dimarco played a one-two with Pellegrini, before his low cross was turned in at the far post by Cambiaso.
It was 2-0 in the 24th minute when Koen Casteeles parried Cambiaso's low drive straight to Retegui, who tapped into an open goal.
However, the Azzurri's momentum was halted after 40 minutes when Pellegrini was shown a straight red card following a VAR review after his late challenge on Arthur Theate.
Belgium quickly took advantage to halve the deficit with a neatly worked free-kick as Youri Tielemans and Trossard combined to tee up De Cuyper, who curled past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
And the comeback was completed just after the hour mark when Wout Faes nodded a deep corner into the six-yard box, where Trossard nipped in ahead of Donnarumma to ensure a share of the spoils.
Data Debrief: Italy's quick start counts for nothing
After back-to-back victories over France and Israel, Italy were quick out of the blocks in their quest to make it three wins from three.
Cambiaso's strike saw the Azzurri score in the opening minute of a match for the first time since June 2013, when Emanuele Giaccherini struck early against Haiti.
However, the pendulum certainly swung away from them following the dismissal of Pellegrini, who became the first Italy player to receive a direct red card since Domenico Criscito against Netherlands in June 2018.
'Your legacy will live forever' - Djokovic hails Nadal 'tenacity, dedication, fighting spirit'
Novak Djokovic believes Rafael Nadal's "legacy will live forever" as the 24-time major winner paid tribute to his great rival.
Nadal announced on Thursday via a video on his social media platforms that he will retire from competitive tennis following next month's Davis Cup finals in Malaga.
It brings the curtain down on a glittering career in which he won 22 grand slams, including a record 14 French Open singles triumphs.
His major tally was then a record, but has since been surpassed by Djokovic, against whom he contested what many believe to be tennis' greatest rivalry.
The pair faced off 60 times, including nine times in slam finals, with the Serb boasting a narrowly superior 31-29 record, while he prevailed in their final clash at the Paris Olympics.
And Djokovic has followed suit in paying tribute to the Spaniard, who was dubbed "the King of Clay" for his exploits at Roland-Garros.
"Rafa, one post is not enough to express the respect I have for you and what you have done for our sport," he wrote on his social media platforms.
"You have inspired millions of children to start playing tennis, and I think that's probably the greatest achievement anyone can wish for.
"Your tenacity, dedication, fighting spirit are going to be taught for decades. Your legacy will live forever. Only you know what you had to endure to become an icon of tennis and sport in general.
"Thank you for pushing me to the very limit so many times in our rivalry, which has impacted me the most as a player.
"Your passion for representing Spain has always been remarkable. I wish you the best possible farewell in Malaga with the Davis Cup team of Spain. I will be there in person to pay respect to your stellar career."
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