Novak Djokovic returned to the well recently to plumb one of his most famous riffs. The not-so-closeted Djoker has a penchant for being semi-serious intermittently, as with his moonlighting at a photo shoot with girlfriend Jelena Ristic, just before he turns on the funny again. (See: his late-night appearance on Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien's talk shows.)
Mining previous material that seems ancient by this point, although it hails from 2007, Djokovic reinstated his Maria Sharapova impression for a HEAD racquet ad. To note, both players endorse the brand. See here what the Djoker wrought this time:
As social media is at the forefront of the age we live in, Sharapova suitably clapped back via Facebook. Her initial response concluded, "I am a little disappointed you did not wear my dress and think you could work on your body language a bit more! And the hair... no comment on that..."
True, the blonde wig that Djokovic sports in the clip is more busted than just about any weave some other, nameless players have ever trotted out onto the court wearing. Like so many backhands before it, Sharapova pasted him to the wall with that line. Novak's good-natured retort also arrived via Facebook, and he complained of a bad hair day, bemoaning the fact that "It's hard to make my hair perfect all the time." Sharapova then offered "a lesson ... on court," and the two are to take that up in New York City during the U.S. Open.
And what a session that would be—upon winning in Cincinnati, Sharapova is now 11-0 in three-set matches in 2011. Djokovic, despite retiring from the Cincy final against Andy Murray, remains a not-too-shabby 57-2 on the year. Who wouldn't want to be a fly on the court watching one steely competitor coach another? Here's hoping that they do just that. The ATP and WTA tours can seem miles away at times—indeed, they often are—but banter of this nature brings it all home. One sport. One love. One goal: domination.
See you in Flushing.
—Jonathan Scott (@jonscott9)