Novak Djokovic tries his hand in cricket while Steve Smith shocks joker with his return in tennis - WATCH

To celebrate the first Grand Slam of the year, a unique occasion called A Night with Novak & Friends was hosted on Thursday. In the upcoming two weeks, Djokovic, the reigning champion and record ten-time winner of the Australian Open, hopes to win his 25th major.

Steve Smith, the Australian cricket player, was the target of a soft serve from Novak Djokovic when he emerged from the sidelines. Smith made excellent use of his amazing footwork to move out of the ball's path and hit a return that fell inside the court. Djokovic was so impressed that he decided not to play another shot. The Serb applauded Smith and bowed to the cricketer upon his return.

Game respects game!

(And Novak is just like the rest of us when it comes to Smudge...)@stevesmith49 • @DjokerNole • #AusOpen • #AO2024 pic.twitter.com/ioL8hjVSrF

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 11, 2024

Djokovic attempted cricket as well, but he was unable to match Smith's level of skill in tennis. The Serb attempted a cross-batted shot but was unsuccessful. But when he replaced the bat with a tennis racquet, the ball at Melbourne Park sailed into the stands.

Is it too late to add him to the test squad?! From the sounds of it the selectors are open to trying things out...@DjokerNole • #AusOpen • #AO2024 pic.twitter.com/VAJq2KFShr

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 11, 2024

At the Australian Open, Djokovic will start his title defense against a pre-qualifier. In the quarterfinal, Stefanos Tsitsipas is probably going to take against the superstar, who is attempting to win an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam title. With the exception of Wimbledon, Djokovic won three of the four Grand Slams in 2018. The Serbian, who will compete in the Olympics in Paris, has his sights set on completing a Golden Slam this year.

Conversely, Steve Smith is preparing for his role as the opening batsman in Test cricket, having put in a bid to succeed David Warner, who announced his retirement from the competition following the three-Test series against Pakistan in January.

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