"Hoops with Andrey Rublev" - Novak Djokovic shows off his basketball skills with Russian star at Cincinnati Open
Novak Djokovic recently showed off his basketball skills alongside World No. 8 Andrey Rublev during his time in Mason, Ohio, for the Cincinnati Open.
While Djokovic has reached the semifinal of the Cincinnati Open, Rublev exited the tournament early in the second round, but on Friday, the tennis stars seemed to have some fun off the tennis court in Mason.
The Serb took to social media to share a few clips of a brief session at a basketball court in the company of Rublev. He also asked Andrei Kirilenko, president of Russian Basketball Federation, to judge their performance as he netted a three-pointer with a bigger ball in hand.
"Some hoops with @andreyrublev from earlier today. @ak47russ what do you think of our skill," the post's caption read.
On the tennis court, Djokovic and Rublev have come face-to-face four times, with the former leading the head-to-head count 4-1. Interestingly, Rublev's sole victory over the 36-year-old came in the final of the latter's home event, Serbian Open, in 2022.
Novak Djokovic can become World No. 1 if he wins Cincinnati Open & Carlos Alcaraz loses his semifinal against Hubert Hurkacz
Novak Djokovic can reclaim the first spot in ATP rankings if he manages to win the Cincinnati Open title and current No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz loses his semifinal against Hubert Hurkacz on Saturday, August 19.
The Serb advanced to the semifinal after trouncing Taylor Fritz 6-0, 6-4 in their quarterfinal tie on Friday night. After the match, he said:
"Every match is a new match, a new challenge. I just managed to get off the blocks really strong, played an almost perfect, flawless first set. Then I started off really poorly in the second and handed him the break, but from 2-4 down I played really four solid games in the second. Just overall a great performance."
"That's something I'm wishing for, that every day I raise the bar slightly more, the level of tennis. That's what's happening during the tournament. I played three great matches and each day has been a better feeling on the court overall. So hopefully the same trajectory can continue," the 36-year-old added.
The World No. 2 will lock horns with Alexander Zverev for a place in Sunday's final. He sits in the second spot in the rankings with 8,795 points. Since the Serb is not defending any points, he can take his tally to 9,795 if he manages to secure the ATP 1000 title in Cincinnati.
On the other hand, if Alcaraz, currently with 9,395 points on top, bows out of the Cincinnati Open on Saturday, he will have 9,575 points in his name.