Novak Djokovic and Nicolas Almagro played it strictly for laughs in a hit-and-giggle exhibition in Taipei before the pair went their separate ways to join the ATP Asian swing in Beijing and Tokyo respectively for this week’s Tour events.
Djokovic, known in his earlier days for his imitations – not always well received – of fellow players, was able to bring back that persona for a few minutes in the unofficial match in the Taiwan capital.
He and Spain’s Almagro took turns mimicking the likes of retired Andy Roddick as well as Rafael Nadal, “It was nice to play good tennis, but also to smile, have fun and do something different,” said world No. 2 Djokovic.
Djokovic then left post-match for Beijing where is plays as top seed at the China Open and aims for a third title there. Almagro is competing in Tokyo at the Japan Open.
Djokovic currently trails Roger Federer in the ATP ranking point race by 1,300 and has a chance to close some of that gap with the Swiss not playing this week.
Topics: Andy Roddick, ATP tennis news, Beijing tennis news, Japan Open, Nicolas Almagro, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Sports, Taipei Open, Tennis News, Tokyo Open