Berdych, Stepanek to play Davis Cup semis against Serbia

PRAGUE -- Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych and teammate Radek Stepanek will play for the Czech Republic in the Davis Cup semifinals against Serbia.

Berdych ruled himself out of the quarterfinals against Chile in July because of an abdominal muscle injury, while Stepanek missed out because of a left knee problem. Without them, the Czechs still won 4-1.

Czech Republic captain Jaroslav Navratil says he hopes the team with Berdych and Stepanek "will be stronger" for the Sept. 17-19 series on an indoor hardcourt in Belgrade. Navratil also named Ivo Minar and Jan Hajek to his team.

Berdych and Stepanek helped the Czechs reach last year's final, where they lost to Spain 5-0. They both were eliminated in the first round of the U.S. Open.