Steve Smith stuns Novak Djokovic, 24-time Grand Slam Champions bows to Australian cricket star - Watch Video

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Steve Smith stunned Novak Djokovic after returning a serve from the 24-time Grand Slam champion with a lot of ease ahead of the Australian Open 2024. The Australian cricket star impressed the Serbian ace with a forehand return which took everyone by surprise.

Novak Djokovic, who has won a record 24 Grand Slam titles, enjoyed his time before the Australian Open main draw by trying his hands at various sports - all on the tennis court. The 36-year-old played basketball with NBA star Alan Williams, raced Commonwealth Games medalist runner Peter Bol, and competed with World Cup silver medalist gymnast Georgia Godwin.

Novak Djokovic also tried his hands at cricket. He missed the line of the ball completely on a very slow pace delivery which bounced one. After request from the fans, Djokovic took guard once again but kept his tennis racquet handy on his side. He dropped his bat, and picked the racquet as the bowler took his run-up, and lofted the ball over "cover" and into the stands. Here's the video.

Next up, Djokovic made a serve to Steve Smith which was dealt with a lot of ease by the superstar batter who would be opening in Australia's upcoming Test series against West Indies.

As soon as the ball fell inside the court, an applause broke out and Djokovic dropped his racquet in disbelief and bowed to the right-hand batter. "And Novak is just like the rest of us when it comes to Smudge," Australia Open captioned the video.

Novak Djokovic is all set to start his hunt for an 11th Australian Open title and his record-extending 25th Grand Slam win against a yet-to-be-determined qualifier. The Australian Open 2024 main draw starts from Sunday, January 14. Australia vs West Indies first Test will start from Wednesday, January 17 in Adelaide.