New Delhi, Jan 15: Tennis ace Novak Djokovic has responded to India's superstar batter Virat Kohli good luck wishes, ahead of the Serbian's first Grand Slam of the year, and said that he looks forward to the day they "play together."

The two athletes have spoken about the mutual respect and admiration they have for each other and how their camaraderie was fostered by exchanging text messages with each other over the years.

Djokovic took to social media platform X to respond to a video message posted by BCCI to thank Kohli for his "kind words."

"Thank you for these kind words @imVkohli Looking forward to the day we play together," Djokovic tweeted.

Virat opened up on Sunday about his bond with Djokovic and how their journey of friendship and mutual admiration started. It came just a day after Djokovic enjoyed some tennis and cricket with Australia's star batter, Steve Smith, who is also a competitor of Virat in the cricketing arena.

In a video posted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Virat said that his talks with Djokovic started when he happened to check his text to him by chance, after once trying to say "hello" to the star tennis player.

"I got in touch with Novak very organically. I was just looking at his Instagram profile once and happened to press his "Message" button. I thought I would say him 'Hello, maybe.' Then I saw a message from him on my DM already. I never saw it myself. The first time I saw my own messages, I saw that he had messaged me himself.

Then I was like, let us check if it is a fake account or not. But then I checked it and it was legitimate. Then we started talking, exchanging messages now and then. I would congratulate him on all of his fantastic achievements," recalled Virat.

Virat said that when he got his 50th ODI century during the ICC Cricket World Cup semifinal against New Zealand last year, Djokovic sent him a nice message and put up a story for him, congratulating him.

"There has been mutual admiration and respect. It is nice to connect with global athletes who are excelling at a high level. Collectively, it is sending out a message of inspiration to the next generation in a way," said Virat.
Virat said that he has a lot of respect for Djokovic, his journey as a player, and his passion for fitness. He expressed hope of meeting the Serbian icon soon.

"I have a lot of respect for him and his journey; his passion for fitness is something I follow and believe in myself. So there is a lot to connect on. Hopefully, when he comes to India or if I happen to be in a country where he is playing, I will catch up with him and just chill out and have a cup of coffee," said Virat.

In the end, Virat wished Djokovic the very best for the Australian Open, where Djokovic is defending his men's singles title. He also told Djokovic that Australia is personally his favourite place to play cricket and the tennis star will enjoy the support from the Aussie crowd.

Ahead of the tournament, which started on Sunday, Djokovic had also talked about his bond with Virat and described a trip to India.

Speaking to Sony Sports Network, Djokovic said, "Virat Kohli and I have been texting a little bit for a few years and we never got the chance to meet in person. But it was really a privilege and honour to listen to him speak nicely about me and I obviously admire his career, and achievement and everything he has done."

Yesterday, Virat made his return to T20I cricket after more than a year, smashing an attacking 29 in 16 balls with five fours against Afghanistan in the second T20I. Djokovic also started his Australian Open title defence on a high, securing a 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 triumph against Dino Prizmic in the first-round.

(ANI)

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