Novak Djokovic hints that long-awaited Nick Kyrgios dinner could happen at Australian Open

Novak Djokovic has hinted that his long-awaited dinner with Nick Kyrgios could take place during the Australian Open.

The previously-frosty relationship between Djokovic and Kyrgios has taken a positive turn over the last 12 months.

Kyrgios branded Djokovic a “tool” during the 2021 Australian Open, but last year came to his defence when he was fighting to stay in Australia due to his vaccination status.

There were then some light-hearted social media exchanges between the pair around their 2022 Wimbledon final, which Djokovic won in four sets.

The exchanges included the offer of dinner, which was followed up on by Djokovic after the final.

Djokovic was asked ahead of the Australian Open about having a meal with Kyrgios, as well as the prospect of the Australian playing in this year’s Serbia Open.

“Still no dinner,” the former world No. 1, who suffered an injury scare in practice, told Tennis Majors.

“But Melbourne is going to be an opportunity to do that.

“As for the Serbia Open, considering that he was one of the very few people who stood by me and supported me in Australia, I think that people back home have changed their opinion about him in a positive way – many people are now eager to see him play.

"We are having conversations, we had them last year as well. We would love to have him there, I think that he would enjoy his time there and that he would have a lot of support. If he wants to, he is more than welcome.”

Djokovic and Kyrgios will meet in the 'Arena Showdown' at Melbourne Park on Friday - a practice match which you can stream live and on demand on discovery+.

Djokovic is the strong favourite at the Australian Open, where he will be bidding for a 10th title.

But he expects there to be plenty of competition, including from defending champion Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev, who has made the final the last two years in a row.

“All the players from the top are the biggest rivals, that is always the case,” he said.

“[Stefanos] Tsitsipas, [Jannik] Sinner, [Alexander] Zverev, of course Medvedev and Nadal, who is a veteran just like me.

"When it comes to younger players, it is obvious that Carlos Alcaraz, who sadly won’t be playing in Melbourne, and Holger Rune are frontrunners. They are both 19 years old, and Alcaraz is deservedly No 1, he had a fantastic year.

“At this moment in time, I think it is even more interesting for people to watch Grand Slams – when we are all there and healthy, it is dramatic and fascinating to follow who will claim the trophy.”

Djokovic had a challenging 2022 season as he was deported from Australia and missed large chunks of the rest of the season due to being unable to travel to the USA because he is unvaccinated.

Asked how he hopes to be remembered, he said: “By my personal traits, hopefully more by my virtues than my flaws, which I have, just like any other human being. I try to live my life to the fullest and to remain aware of the fact that there are many people who were not as lucky as me. The way I grew up helped me preserve that awareness, I always try to remind myself where I came from.

"Everything in life that I now have was not given to me, I had to earn it, together with the people around me who have helped me to live my dream and continue to do so. I hope that I spread positive energy towards sports fans throughout the world – I would love for people to feel nice when they come to see me play and that they remember me as someone who cares about others. Of course, by my achievements in tennis too, which I hope there are more to come.”

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Stream the 2023 Australian Open live on discovery+ and eurosport.co.uk