Edited by Deepali Verma
Novak Djokovic, one of the finest tennis stars, is getting ready for the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open 2024. As the tennis star commences his preparation for the 2-week long tournament, he receives good luck wishes from Bharat’s marquee cricketer Virat Kohli. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted a video where Kohli talked about his admiration for Djokovic and also reminisced on the intriguing tale of his first contact with the tennis star. The video spread like wildfire on social media which led to a response from Djokovic.
Kohli revealed that he once came to a decision to send Djokovic a message on Instagram. However, a thing of surprise, the tennis maestro had already reached out to him, marking the beginning of their friendship.
“I got in touch with him very organically as I was browsing through his profile once on Instagram and I just happened to press the message button. I thought I’ll just say hello, maybe,” Kohli spoke on BCCI ‘X’.
“And there was a message from him on my DM already. The first time I saw my own messages myself and he had messaged me himself. And my instant reaction was to just check if it’s a fake account or something like that.
“But after checking again, it was legitimate. After that, we got talking. We exchange messages every now and then where I congratulate him for all his amazing achievements.”
Both the athletes are epitome of supreme fitness allowing them to excel even in their mid 30s.
Djokovic, in response, wrote on ‘X’, “Thank you for these kind words @imVkohli I am looking forward to the day when we play together.”
Djokovic also extended his congratulations to Kohli on his 50th ODI century via an Instagram story, a gesture that resonated heartily with Kohli.
“It’s incredible to be in contact with global athletes who are excelling at a high level. I have immense respect for Djokovic, his journey, his passion for fitness, something that I closely follow myself and am a firm believer of. So, we have a lot of common ground to connect on.
“Hopefully, if he visits soon, I will be in a country where he is playing. I then definitely plan to catch up with him and just chill, maybe have a cup of coffee.”
