Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka trade their racquets for football at

Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka engaged in a fun football training exercise ahead of their second-round matches at the 2024 Indian Wells.Both players have received a first-round bye and are scheduled to play their respective second-round matches on Saturday, March 9. Djokovic will play against the winner between qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki and Aleksander Vukic. On the other hand, Sabalenka will clash against the winner of the Elisabetta Cocciaretto vs Peyton Sterns game.

A short clip posted on YouTube showed the reigning Australian Open champion kicking a pink football back and forth with her trainer. After a cut, Djokovic was seen joining her on the practice field. The duo began running and tossing a football to each other. They threw the ball in front of the other to speed up before deftly switching directions.

Both players enjoy an off-court friendship and recently shared a playful banter on social media about their roundhouse kick. They also teamed up for a charity exhibition match ahead of this year’s Australian Open against Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari.
Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic’s performances at Indian Wells 2023.

consecutive losses in WTA history after Indian Wells 1R exit
“I’ve apologized several times… I was being accused of things I didn’t do” – Andrey Rublev opens up about Dubai altercation and disqualification
World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka is set to begin her 2024 Indian Wells campaign on Sunday, March 9.This will be her fifth appearance at the Masters 1000 event. Barring 2021, the Belarusian has regularly competed at the event since 2018.She made early round exits in 2018 and 2022 and reached as far as the Round of 16 in 2020. However, her best result came in last year’s edition of Indian Wells.Sabalenka was at the top of her game, having won her first Grand Slam at the 2023 Australian Open. She had little trouble reaching the quarterfinals, where she overcame Coco Gauff. She then defeated Maria Sakkari en route to the finals. However, she lost the title to the eventual winner Elena Rybakina.World No. 1 Novak Djokovic did not miss the event from 2006 to 2019 and will be marking his 15th appearance after a gap of 5 years. He suffered a third-round exit in his last appearance at the Indian Wells in 2019. However, Djokovic has historically enjoyed a lot of success in California.

With five wins, Djokovic is tied with Roger Federer for most Indian Wells titles. The 24-time Grand Slam champion is just two titles away from his 100th tour-level trophy and a victory at the upcoming Indian Wells will take him closer to the feat.