Novak Djokovic had a bit of trouble in his straight sets third-round Australian Open win over Grigor Dimitrov.
Safe to say he had more trouble after the match, though.
The nine-time champion was left in a situation where we’ve all been – awkwardly trying to remember something while making small talk with an old colleague.
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In this case, it was Jelena Dokic; the Aussie tennis great whose father is Serbian, and briefly lived in Serbia during her childhood.
Conducting the post-match interview with Djokovic, Dokic began by asking: “You know when was the first time we saw each other here?
Confused, Djokovic responded: “It was the first time?”
Dokic clarified: “No no, do you remember, when was the first time I actually met you here at the Australian Open?”
Cue the pause as Djokovic suddenly had to wind back the clock in his mind – to laughter from the Rod Laver Arena crowd.
“Uhh… 2007? 6? 5?” he asked.
“2006!” she declared, with a smile – and then an admission.
“You won in 2008, and you came to me in 2006 and you said ‘hi I’m Novak Djokovic, do you remember me?’
“And I said to you ‘yes I do’ and I have to admit I didn’t, because we hit two years earlier, and I pretended I did. But I definitely know who you are now and I remember you now.”
Cue more laughter from the crowd – and Djokovic.
He responded: “To return the compliments to you – I was looking up to you.
“Obviously, you played for Australia, but you come from our region so we speak the same language.
“You were a big star at the time and I was really happy to play with you, so it’s great to see you again.”
With that tough test complete, Djokovic truly is ready for anything this tournament can throw at him.
