"I was looking up to you" - Novak Djokovic and Jelena Dokic share heartwarming moment at Australian Open 2023
Novak Djokovic and former player Jelena Dokic shared a light-hearted moment after the Serb's third-round win at the Australian Open, as the duo reminisced about their first meeting in Australia.
Up against Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov, Djokovic outclassed his opponent 7-6(7), 6-3, 6-4 to book his berth in the fourth round of the 2023 Australian Open. After his match, during an on-court interview conducted by former World No. 4 Jelena Dokic, Djokovic greeted the former Serbian and Australian player warmly.
"Nice to see you, Jelena, haven't seen you in ages," Djokovic said at the start of the interview.
"Let's see if you remember..." 🤭 Jelena Dokic clean bowled Novak Djokovic with a cheeky question in an interview full of laughs! 😆
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Dokic then put the 21-time Grand Slam champion to the test as she asked him about their first meeting.
"Do you remember the first time we saw each other here at the Australian Open? Let's see if you remember," Dokic posed the question to the 35-year-old.
To this, Djokovic replied: "2006."
Much to the veteran's relief, he had answered it correctly. Dokic then narrated the entire story of a young Djokovic introducing himself to her, and she followed that up with an honest confession.
"You came up to me in 2006 and said, 'Hi, I am Novak Djokovic, do you remember me?' And I said to you, 'Yes I do' and I have to admit, I didn't because we hit 2 years earlier but I pretended I did, but I definitely remember who you are now."
Djokovic then admitted that he used to look up to Dokic because of their shared ethnicity, and that he enjoyed playing with such a "big star."
"To return the compliments to you, I was looking upto you obviously, you played for Australia, but you come from our region so we speak the same language. You were a big star at that time and I was really happy to play with you so it is great to see you again," he said.
Novak Djokovic to square off against Alex de Minaur in the fourth round of the Australian Open
The nine-time Australian Open winner will next lock horns with Australia's Alex de Minaur.
Djokovic has been in sublime form since the start of the season. He kicked off his 2023 season by winning the Adelaide International 1. Following the exit of Andy Murray, the veteran remains the only Grand Slam winner in the draw.
Speaking about his fourth-round opponent, Djokovic showered praise on De Minaur.
"One of the quickest player on the Tour, he improved a lot and he has got Lleyton Hewitt in his corner. I am really looking forward to it," he said.