It’s extremely rare to see the defending champions at a Grand Slam event team up for mixed doubles at the same venue the following year.
But that’s exactly what happened on Thursday night before a sold-out crowd at Rod Laver Arena.
Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka joined forces for a charity match against Greek stars Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari, an entertaining spectacle which had the four of them – plus the thousands of fans watching – in stitches throughout the evening.
The result was largely irrelevant; at various points the players subbed out to make way for ballkids, Australian 12/u grass-court champion Novak Palombo – dubbed ‘Little Novak’ – and Australian wheelchair tennis star Heath Davidson.
The purpose of the evening was a charitable one, with ticket proceeds supporting a range of children’s charities through the Australian Tennis Foundation.
‘A Night with Novak and Friends’ was one of four evening charity match events being staged this week as part of an expanded AO Opening Week presented by Herald Sun.
But what was especially significant about this one was the fact it marked the return to Rod Laver Arena of the tournament’s reigning titleholders.
“I’m super happy to be back – it’s my favourite place,” Sabalenka said after walking onto court to huge cheers. “And I’m happy to join these great players tonight and hopefully you guys will have fun and enjoy our tennis.”
Ahead of teaming up with Djokovic, she laughed: “I’ll put a bit of pressure on him.”
Two players who are already good friends, Djokovic and Sabalenka were an entertaining duo – and at one point headed to the side of the court for an iconic pose alongside the AO men's and women’s singles trophies.
Both will commence their title defences on Sunday 14 January – the first day of play in the expanded 15-day main draw at Australian Open 2024.