Australian cricket champion Steve Smith dropped Novak Djokovic's jaw after returning a quick serve from the world number one on his first attempt.
Smith technically won the point as he placed the ball on the back of Djokovic's point while the Serbian star looked open-mouthed.
While it is no surprise that Smith was comfortable hitting his serve when he regularly deals with 140km/h cricket balls buzzing around his ears, the return certainly caught Djokovic by surprise.
Smith smiled as Djokovic applauded and then bowed to the cricket star.
Earlier in the night, Nine host James Bracy said he saw Smith, known for his shadow shots, “practicing his tennis swing”.
“I played cricket in Perth last week on the beach,” Djokovic said.
“So I don't know if you can really call it real cricket, but I hit a few balls or fours, and I missed a lot of balls as well.
“So I think… you know, going up against him is going to be tough.
Smith confirmed that he was warming up from the back.
He also praised Djokovic.
“I've been fortunate to come here on a few occasions and actually watched Novak play here,” Smith said.
“It's great to watch. They move gracefully all over the field and you see the ball fly at a good speed. It's great fun to watch.”
While there was some tennis, with Djokovic beating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3 in one set, before an entertaining mixed doubles match with Tsitsipas, Maria Sakkari and Aryna Sabalenka, plus Australian wheelchair tennis star Heath Davidson in a fun match. Tennis night.
Smith, 800m runner Peter Paul, gymnast Georgia Goodwin, and Allen Williams of the NBL's South East Melbourne Phoenix all challenged Djokovic to try their sports, as well as facing serve from the 24-time champion.
After showing his flexibility with Godwin, diving with Williams and trying to keep up with Paul, Smith came out for a bit of cricket, while Shane Warne's son Jackson also came out for the celebrations.
After launching Djokovic into the crowd, the tennis star took his back, launching both Smith and Warren into the crowd as well.
But when the tables turned, Smith left the tennis champion stunned by his skill, even earning the comment: “It's no fun being good Steve.”
The event raised money for the Australian Tennis Foundation, which has provided more than 49,000 opportunities for disadvantaged children to play the sport.
The opening week of the AO Championship saw a series of charity matches with Alex de Minaur taking on world number two Carlos Alcaraz on Wednesday, while the Spaniard will have another match against Caspar Ruud on Friday before the start of the Australian Open on Sunday.
Originally published as Steve Smith wins point against Novak Djokovic as sporting worlds collide
