Novak Djokovic humorously notifies Aryna Sabalenka about taking high kick lessons from her after failed attempt at Australian Open
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic hilariously tagged Aryna Sabalenka in a comment about enrolling in high kick lessons from her, following a failed attempt behind the scenes at the Australian Open.
The Serb is currently vying for an 11th title at the Australian Open in Melbourne. He is two wins away from achieving his goal, after recently chalking up a fabulous win over Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.
While indulging in some playful banter with his team, Djokovic tried to replicate Aryna Sabalenka’s roundhouse kick from a few days ago in the locker room. But the top seed failed to execute the challenge efficiently, and he was asked to take lessons from Sabalenka by the Australian Open social media handle on Instagram.
Djokovic not only responded humorously to the post, but also notified the Belarusian about the special request.
Sabalenka was earlier spotted acing a roundhouse overhead kick with one of her team members in the locker room. Fans were impressed with the agility and finesse showcased by the Belarusian.
Both Djokovic and Sabalenka's attempt at the challenge can be seen below:
The 26-year-old Sabalenka, has also reached the semifinals in Melbourne. She is the defending champion at the event and looks poised to repeat her heroics from last year.
While Djokovic is on the cusp of creating history again by becoming the first man to win 25 Grand Slam titles, Sabalenka is close to claiming her second Major trophy at the Australian Open.
If the Belarusian manages to capture the crown in Melbourne, she will be the first women's player to successfully defend her title at the hardcourt Major in 11 years. The last player to do so was coincidentally another Belarusian, Victoria Azarenka in 2013.
Aryna Sabalenka to sqaure off against Coco Gauff in the semifinals of the 2024 Australian Open
World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka and World No. 4 Coco Gauff will lock horns in the semifinals of the Australian Open on Thursday.
Gauff leads the head-to-head against Sabalenka 4-2, having defeated her most recently at the 2023 US Open finals in a thrilling three-set contest. This will be their second meeting at a Major event.
While Sabalenka cruised past Barbora Krejcikova in the quarterfinals, Gauff overcame Ukranian talent Marta Kostyuk in three sets 7-6(6), 6-7(3), 6-2. The American is yet to lose a match in 2024.
The Melbourne crowd will expect fireworks as the two dominant competitors battle it out for a place in the finals. It'll be interesting to see if Gauff can find a way to stop the defending champion and register back-to-back wins against Sabalenka. The action will kick off at the Rod Laver Arena on Thursday, 25 January.