Outside of his icy exterior, Novak Djokovic is well-known to be one of the funniest men on the ATP Tour and John McEnroe felt the brunt of that comedic nature.
Novak Djokovic made Wimbledon laugh with a Roger Federer joke recently, and he’s no stranger to cracking wise after his matches.
Back in 2009, Djokovic and McEnroe were involved in a tongue-in-cheek feud at Flushing Meadows, which culminated in the Serbian challenging the American legend to a match.
McEnroe’s reaction was priceless, and he stunned the crowd at the legendary United States tournament.
Novak Djokovic and John McEnroe’s impromptu 2009 US Open match
Djokovic was interviewed on court after a victory at Flushing Meadows, and attention turned toward McEnroe’s previous comments about the Serbian.
McEnroe jokingly said Djokovic should drag his matches out to five sets to give the crowd more entertainment, and it led to a hilarious request from the 24-time Grand Slam winner.
“Why doesn’t he come down here? Wanna hit some balls?” asked Djokovic to the four-time US Open Champion.
Unexpectedly, McEnroe, who was on commentary duties, stepped down to the court in his formal attire and hit some balls with Djokovic.
The pair imitated each other much to the crowd’s delight and gave the US Open one of its most enduring moments.
Who won the 2009 US Open?
Unfortunately for Djokovic, his impromptu back-and-forth with McEnroe didn’t provide him the luck to win the 2009 US Open.
He was knocked out in the semi-finals in a straight-sets loss to Roger Federer, but surprisingly none of the ‘big four’ won the event.
The event was eventually won by Juan Martin del Potro, who beat Federer in the final in an epic five-set match.
It was the Argentine’s only Grand Slam win and, in fact, the only final of a major tournament the star ever made.