Before the first Grand Slam of the season starts, Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios are playing in front of a packed stadium, who came to watch their match at the Arena Showdown.
After the rematch of the 2022 Wimbledon final between Kyrgios and Djokovic was announced, tickets sold out only in 58 minutes at $20 each, as The Australian Tennis Foundation receives all ticket proceeds from The Arena Showdown.
As expected, both players were determined to show their best tennis on the court, but since the match was played in a Fast 4 format, it took them some time to adjust to it. When the Australian was serving for the first time a very funny scene occurred as his opponent forgot the rules.
Kyrgios' first serve hit the net and ended up going in, and Djokovic, playing according to the classic rules, returned the ball to his opponent with a between-the-legs shot. However, Kyrgios kept playing as he remember the format of the match and won an easy point.
Soon, the 21-time Grand Slam champion realized a mistake that he made and couldn't help but just laugh. Eventually, Kyrgios won the first set 5-3 in a tie-break, but his opponent had a better start to the second set.
Both players were in a really good mood before the match, as they said:
"I'm very happy, thank you so much. I feel a bit emotional right now, to be honest. I was really looking forward to coming back to this court, so thank you, guys, for coming out tonight for a great cause."
"I'm not going to lie, I'm nervous standing back out here! A kid from Canberra growing up and then selling out this arena in 58 minutes with one of the best players in the world, it's amazing It's a very special moment for me. I know the last couple of years in Melbourne it's been a struggle. I need some payback from Wimbledon: I haven't slept since!"