There was plenty of interest in a friendly pickleball exhibition Thursday night in Manhattan, as 24-time Grand Slam Champion Novak Djokovic messed around with a paddle in his hand alongside ATP world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova and pro pickleballer Callie Smith.
The event was part of HEAD's "NYC Mash Up" get together ahead of next week's U.S. Open over in Queens.
Any time a tennis great picks up a pickleball paddle, fans of both sports are drawn to watch. Witnessing arguably the greatest men's tennis player of all time attempting to figure out pickleball on the fly is must-see TV, and The Dink was on hand to capture some of the "highlights."
Djokovic was paired with Krejcikova for the match, while Sinner played with Smith. Suffice to say from the video below, Novak either doesn't know many of the rules of pickleball or didn't really care. Let's just say the kitchen saw plenty of action.
John McEnroe, himself a pickleball enthusiast having played in both Pickleball Slams, was the emcee of the event and also picked up a paddle at Djokovic's request.
"It's a different sport definitely than tennis," admitted Sinner. "It was the first time for me. It was also a nice feeling to share the court with our tennis players. It's good to play doubles, two against two. It's nice to also communicate. It's a good sport."
It was cool to see a crossover event like this and for the players to embrace a new sport. Just remember this video when you watch Sinner, the 'Djoker' and Krejcikova next week over at The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center playing some of the best tennis you'll ever witness in their quest for a Grand Slam.
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