Novak Djokovic took a hilarious pop at Aryna Sabalenka during a pre-Wimbledon practice session. The pair are already going through the motions at the All England Club, with Sabalenka back from her boozy holiday and both players gearing up for a potentially gruelling tournament.
The season’s only grass-court Grand Slam is just as much a test of endurance as it is of skill, power and experience. To go all the way, as they will want to do, both Djokovic and Sabalenka would need to spend two weeks going full throttle on court and being disciplined off it.
But with nearly a week to go, there is still time for niceties on the practice courts. Djokovic and Sabalenka were seen having a knockabout on Wednesday afternoon, with the men’s 24-time Grand Slam champion putting the current women’s world No. 1 through her paces.
Although they will be keeping some energy in reserve for the tournament itself, Sabalenka was still pushing hard enough to let out her infamously loud grunt after each strike of the ball.
In earshot of those watching, Djokovic said over the net: “That [grunt] would be a hindrance on the ATP Tour.” And Sabalenka jokingly responded: “I thought we were friends?”
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Djokovic, Sabalenka and their respective teams had a 30-minute discussion by the side of the net after their practice hit. The Guardian claim that much of the conversation involved Djokovic asking Sabalenka about her career and offering words of encouragement.
Not that she needs much of it. The Belarusian has been on fire this year, even if defeats in multiple finals have denied her an even more remarkable season. Sabalenka notched big wins at the Brisbane International, the Miami Open and the Madrid Open, while she reached the finals of the Australian Open, Indian Wells, the Boss Open and the French Open.
Djokovic has not been in the mix quite as much. The Serb has cut down his tournament schedule dramatically, dropping him back to sixth in the men’s world rankings.
But with seven Wimbledon crowns on his CV and a run to this year’s French Open semi-finals under his belt, Djokovic, like Sabalenka, will be tough to beat at SW19.
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