WATCH: Novak Djokovic and Elena Rybakina share a high-five after running into each other at Wimbledon practice ahead of 2024 campaign
Novak Djokovic and Elena Rybakina were recently spotted sharing a high-five after running into each other at a practice session ahead of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. The main draw at the grass court Major is scheduled to kick off on July 1 and will run through July 14.
Djokovic, who withdrew from the French Open earlier in June after he tore his medial meniscus in his right knee and had to undergo surgery, arrived in England on Sunday. The official Wimbledon X account (formerly Twitter) posted a video of the Serb hitting the court.
Rybakina, on the other hand, kicked off her grass court season at the ecotrans Ladies Open in Berlin, where she defeated Veronika Kudermetova in the Round of 16 before withdrawing in the quarterfinals due to an illness.
On Monday (June 24), the 24-time Grand Slam champion and the 2022 Wimbledon winner were spotted sharing a high-five during a practice session on the grass court. Watch the video below:
Novak Djokovic, who won seven titles last season including three Grand Slams, has yet to win a trophy this season. He has competed in six ATP tournaments this year, with semifinal finishes at the Australian Open, Monte-Carlo Masters, and the Geneva Open.
Meanwhile, Elena Rybakina began the 2024 season by winning the Brisbane International trophy, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the final. The World No. 4 also clinched the Abu Dhabi Open by defeating Daria Kasatkina in the final. Rybakina lifted her third title this season at the Stuttgart Open, defeating Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk in the final.
A brief look at how Novak Djokovic and Elena Rybakina performed at Wimbledon in 2023
Elena Rybakina's participation in the 2023 Wimbledon Championships was her third appearance at the grass court Major, while Novak Djokovic has participated 18 times at Wimbledon. Let's take a look at how the two stars fared at the tournament last season.
Novak Djokovic, who has won Wimbledon seven times, came into the tournament as the defending champion. He defeated Pedro Cachín, Jordan Thompson, Stan Wawrinka, Hubert Hurkacz, Andrey Rublev, and current World No. 1 Jannik Sinner before losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
Rybakina, who won the tournament in 2022 after defeating Ons Jabeur in the final, had a strong run in the 2023 edition as well. She defeated Shelby Rogers, Alizé Cornet, Katie Boulter, and Beatriz Haddad Maia before being knocked out by Ons Jabeur in the quarterfinals.
Before Wimbledon, Rybakina will compete in her second tournament on the grass court this season at the Rothesay International, where she will face Harriet Dart in her opening encounter on Wednesday (June 26).