Tennis stars are preparing themselves for the Australian Open 2024 and often, they bump into each other in the corridors of the training facilities at Melbourne Park. Recently, Andrey Rublev and Novak Djokovic met each other around a time a practice match was scheduled and shared a hearty moment.
Andrey Rublev is fresh from winning the Hong Kong Open after converting as many as 13 break points successfully in the semifinals. The Russian is ranked No.5 in the world and has looked promising in the last couple of years. However, the 26 year-old has failed to make an impact at the Grand Slam stage.
During their quick meet, Novak Djokovic teased Andrey Rublev about his great form and asked the Russian to ‘stop winning’ matches. Rublev has already won a singles title this year and looks set to do well at the Australian Open. Rublev replied by praising Djokovic and said that he is trying to learn from some of the talent he has.
The Serbian said that Rublev is already doing well and admitted that he does not need any more talent. In this funny chat, both the players were seen bonding before the Russian departed the scene.
“Correct! I’m trying to, just to take a little bit of your talent,”
Just your usual corridor banter pic.twitter.com/PZXPvOH9L3
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 11, 2024
Novak Djokovic and Andrey Rublev faced off at the Australian Open 2023
Novak Djokovic faced Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in 2023. The Serbian was the favorite going into the match, however, the Russian was in great form throughout the tournament. In the end, Djokovic cruised past Rublev without breaking a sweat as he dominated in a 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 win. The Serbian went on the win the Australian Open title for a record 10th time.
Rublev and Djokovic have faced each other six times with the Serbian dominating their rivalry, leading 5-1 on head-to-head. The youngster’s only win against Djokovic came at the World No.1’s home town in Belgrade at the Serbian Open final. In this year’s Australian Open, the duo can only face each other at most in the semifinals as they are drawn on opposite sides of the men’s singles draw.
