Former Australian captain Steve Smith displayed his tennis prowess during Novak Djokovic’s visit to Australia for the first Grand Slam of the year. Steve Smith earned compliments from the Serbian star, Novak Djokovic, for his remarkable performance on the court.
Steve Smith engaged in a friendly tennis match with Novak Djokovic at Melbourne Park, a prelude to the Australian Open 2024, scheduled to commence on January 12. The exhibition between these two sports stars added an exciting dimension to the tennis event.
Watch – Steve Smith Plays Tennis With Novak Djokovic
Steve Smith’s cricket prowess captivated spectators as he flawlessly returned one of Novak Djokovic’s serves on Centre Court, surprising even the seasoned tennis champion. Djokovic expressed his admiration by bowing to the former Australian cricket captain.
The Australian Open captured the moment and shared the clip on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), captioning, “Game respects game! (And Novak is just like the rest of us when it comes to Smudge…)”
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
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
Defending champion Djokovic is set to commence his Australian Open campaign against a qualifier or lucky loser, with the possibility of facing Australian contenders Marc Polmans or Alexei Popyrin in the following round. Djokovic, with three major victories in the previous season, arrives at the tournament with a record-breaking 24 major titles.
This Is Where Steve Smith Wants To Stay – George Bailey
Steve Smith is gearing up for the home Test series against the West Indies, with the first match scheduled to be played in Adelaide on January 17. Smith is positioned to open the innings for Australia in the longer format, forming a partnership with Usman Khawaja.
In the press conference announcing the squad for the West Indies Test, George Bailey commented on Steve Smith’s decision to open for the rest of his career. Bailey noted that it’s not a casual experiment but a selfless move, despite Smith’s success in the middle order.
“He may do. It’s not something he’s doing on a whim or he wants to do for one match and see how he goes. It’s selfless that someone who has had so much success in one position or a couple of positions in the middle order is open and willing and hungry to have a crack at something new and something different,” Bailey said.
“Tongue in cheek I could say everything’s an experiment. That’s been part of the discussions with Steve, I believe he’s keen for this to be a significant chapter of his career. We don’t look too far ahead… (but) for all intents and purposes this is where Steve wants to stay,” he added.
Following their recent 3-0 victory against Pakistan, the selectors made one change, with Matt Renshaw replacing David Warner. Smith’s move to open the batting brings all-rounder Cameron Green into the playing XI in the middle order for the upcoming match.
Steve Smith has never opened in red-ball cricket for Australia, despite his prolific success in the middle order throughout his career. The 34-year-old batted at all positions from No. 3 to 9. He scored 9514 runs in 105 Tests at an average of 58.01, including 32 centuries.
Also read: AUS vs WI: “Don’t Be Surprised If Steve Smith Breaks Brian Lara’s 400 Record” – Michael Clarke
