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Novak Djokovic and Steve Smith (File Photo: X)
The fans at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne were left both amused and shocked after witnessing an amazing crossover of the Serbian Tennis legend Novak Djokovic with the former Australia skipper and the modern-day batting great, Steve Smith. Both the stars met each other ahead of the start of the Australian Open 2024.
Apart from that, what attracted eyeballs was the swap of their respective sports between Djokovic and Smith. The 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic was seen playing cricket at the Rod Laver Arena; on the other hand, Smith was seen trying his hands in the Tennis. The latter also stunned the fans when he returned the serve of the Tennis veteran.
Coming back to Djokovic, he was seen playing cricket; following a miss on the first ball with the cricket bat, Nole tried completely a different antique on the second ball, he showed up bat initially but left everyone shocked when he used his tennis racket to smash the ball in the fans.
The video of this moment also started making rounds on social media as soon as it was shared on the Australian Open’s official X handle (formerly Twitter).
Here’s the video:
Is it too late to add him to the test squad?! From the sounds of it the selectors are open to trying things out...@DjokerNole • #AusOpen • #AO2024 pic.twitter.com/VAJq2KFShr
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 11, 2024
Speaking of the action, Djokovic is set to start his campaign in the Australian Open, which is set to start on Sunday, January 14, 2024. He was in action in the recently concluded United Cup 2024 in Australia, where his campaign ended in the quarter-finals of the tournament after losing against Australia’s Alex de Minaur by 4-6, 4-6.
Last year, he also won the Nitto ATP Finals after defeating Italy’s Jannik Sinner in the title clash of the tournament by 6-3, 6-3.
On the other hand, talking about cricketing stalwart Steve Smith; he will be in action for Australia in the upcoming two-match home Test series against West Indies. He is set to open the innings for Australia in Tests after the former legendary Southpaw David Warner retired from the longest format of the game.