WATCH: When Novak Djokovic faced Aussie cricket legend Shane Warne for charity
Novak Djokovic faced legendary Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne's bowling during a charity event in Melbourne in 2017.
The Serb started the year by winning the Qatar Open, where he triumphed over Andy Murray in the final. He then traveled to Down Under for the Australian Open and met legendary spin bowler Warne during a charity event in Melbourne.
There, the wheelchair tennis great Dylan Alcott and cricketers Aaron Finch and Meg Lanning were also present.
Djokovic faced a few balls from Warne, regarded by many as the greatest spin bowler of all time, telling the latter to "surprise him." The latter responded by jokingly saying:
"You gotta be very careful what you wish for when you say that to me Novak."
The then-World No. 2 was unable to make contact with the first ball Warned bowled to him but hit the other five rather convincingly. In fact. he hit the last ball as a tennis forehand.
Djokovic, who was the two-time defending champion at the Australian Open, suffered a disappointing second-round exit at the hands of Denis Istomin. The Serb finished the 2017 season with 32 wins out of 40 matches, winning two titles.
Shane Warne tragically passed away in 2022 at the age of 52. His death was mourned by the entire cricket world.
Novak Djokovic has won 10 Australian Open titles so far in his career
Novak Djokovic has won a whopping 10 titles so far at the Australian Open, establishing himself as the tournament's most successful competitor among male players.
The Serb suffered opening-round exits in his first two appearances at the Asia-Pacific Major but his performances became more and more dominant as the years progressed.
Djokovic's maiden triumph in Melbourne Park came in 2008, when he beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final. His second title came three years later in 2011 when he got the better of Andy Murray in the title clash.
The Serb successfully defended his crown in 2012 after edging out Rafael Nadal in a thrilling final that lasted 5 hours and 53 minutes.
Djokovic had another successful title defense in 2013 to win the Melbourne Major for the third straight year and fourth time overall. He won back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016 before premature exits in 2017 and 2018.
Djokovic won his seventh Australian Open crown in 2019 and went on to win each of the next three editions to take his tally at the Asia-Pacific Major to 10. The Serb will compete in the 2024 edition as the top seed and will face a qualifier or a lucky loser in the opening round.