Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Serbian tennis great Novak Djokovic opened up on his friendship with cricket stalwart Virat Kohli and revealed that it was Kohli because of whom he started watching cricket and expressed a desire to crossover between tennis and cricket involving the two legends when he visits India. Last year at Wimbledon 2025 on July 7, alongside his wife, Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma, Kohli witnessed Djokovic’s thrilling round of 16 win against Australia’s Alex de Minaur and later took to Instagram to share his excitement, posting a heartfelt story for the Serb. “What a match. It was business as usual for the gladiator, @djokernole,” Kohli had shared on X.
“Virat is a friend and someone I, of course, respect and admire. He is actually, to be honest, the reason why I started following cricket. When I come to India, hopefully he can join, and then we could do a little bit of tennis, a little bit of cricket, and have fun and just spread positive, good vibes with people and celebrate sport,” Djokovic was quoted as saying by Times Now on the sidelines of the Laureus World Sports Awards.
Last year in May, when Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket, the 24-time Grand Slam winner spared a moment to pay his respects to the batting stalwart. He took to his Instagram and reshared the Indian batter’s Instagram post regarding his retirement, adding a tag that reads, “Incredible innings @virat.kohli.”
Djokovic also shared a heartfelt message for his Indian fans, expressing deep gratitude for the “love, respect, and appreciation” he has received from tennis and fans across the globe.
