"Only if I get your Olympic gold medal"- When Novak Djokovic tried his hand at wheelchair tennis with Grand Slam & Olympic wheelchair champion Dylan Alcott ahead of the Australian Open in 2017
Former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has always been a great ambassador for tennis. While we all know about the high-octane energy Djokovic brings to the court while battling it out against the best in the world, he has never shied away from showing the lighter side of his personality.
He has done so while participating in exhibition matches, post-match celebrations on the tour, and various other events associated with the sport. In 2017, Djokovic returned to Melbourne to defend his title at the Australian Open. He participated in an exclusive event with 15-time Grand Slam wheelchair champion and four-time Olympic gold wheelchair champion Dylan Alcott.
The Serbian tried his hand at wheelchair tennis for the first time, much to the Melbourne crowd's delight, and played a few rallies with Dylan Alcott.
"This is like the hardest workout I've ever had in my life, I have so much admiration for you. If I win the next point, I get your Olympic Gold medal," Novak Djokovic said before competing for a point against Dylan Alcott.
The 21-time Grand Slam winner also tried his hand at cricket with former Australian cricketer Late Shane Warne and current T20 captain Aaron Finch at the Margaret Court Arena. Djokovic hit a few of Warne's deliveries into the stands before learning to bowl leg-spin from him with Finch keeping wickets.
Novak Djokovic swaps racquet for bat in Melbourne, with a little bit of help from Shane Warne and Meg Lanning! #AustralianOpen https://t.co/6cFodtOZCS
Novak Djokovic's next opponent
The Serbian will be participating at the ATP 500 Astana Open in Kazakhstan. He is one of the favorites to win the trophy and is seeded No. 4 in the event. Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas are among others who are favorites to lift the title.
Djokovic will kick off his campaign in Astana against Chilean tennis player Christian Garin in the first round on Wednesday.
After a successful stint at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, Novak Djokovic was denied entry into the United States to participate in the US Open due to his unvaccinated status. The Serb didn't play in an ATP event for over two months following his Wimbledon triumph and returned to the tour at the Laver Cup in the last week of September.
He couldn't guide Team Europe over the finish line but followed it up with a title-winning campaign at the Tel Aviv Open in Israel. The World No. 7 outclassed Croatian tennis player Marin Cilic in the final in straight sets to clinch the 89th title of his career and third trophy in 2022.