Novak Djokovic was left stunned at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne after Australian cricket legend Steve Smith took a break from his day job to return one of the Australian Open favourite’s fastest serves.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic was left picking his jaw up from the floor after Australian cricket star Steve Smith returned one of his full-force serves during a pre-Australian Open exhibition match in Melbourne this week.
The Serbian star has certainly been busy since arriving in Australia towards the end of last year, and when he’s not challenging his fans to a viral fitness challenge, the Australian Open favourite has been finalising preparations as he looks to add a record-breaking 9th title to his existing Grand Slams Down Under.
Djokovic is known for his remarkably cool head under pressure, seemingly immune to the extraneous challenges that many tennis players endure when standing alone on the court… but he may have met his match with his latest string of Australian challengers.
During a series of pre-tournament exhibition matches, Novak Djokovic was showing his more playful side before the 2024 Australian Open begins this week.
The defending champion was faced with a set of challenges at the Rod Laver Arena: slamming dunks like LeBron; returning fast bowls like David Warner; and even experiencing wheelchair tennis for the first time to see if he really can do it all.
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But it was during a friendly rally with Australian cricket legend Steve Smith that sent Djokovic in a spin; the Serbian star, known for his formidable serve, was left dumbfounded in a recent video posted to his social media, as Steve Smith, on the baseline, was able to return one of Djokovic’s full-force serves…and he didn’t even break a sweat.
“It’s a great pleasure to have Mr Smith and everyone else who is out here tonight,” Djokovic said. “I’m really looking forward to try their respective sports – I did play cricket in Perth on the beach. I hit a couple of sixes and a couple of fours, but I had many missed balls as well.”
Djokovic could only applaud Smith’s efforts with genuine surprise, but he’ll no doubt be hoping to get an easier run when the Australian Open begins this Sunday 14 January.