The two popular sportsmen Novak Djokovic, the champion tennis player, and Virat Kohli, the champion cricketer, have been seen showing great respect towards each other despite them being competitors in two entirely different fields of sport. The tennis champion praised his friend during the media interaction session at the Laureus World Sports Awards 2026, held in Madrid.

Novak Djokovic said, "Virat Kohli is a very good friend of mine. I respect him a lot. To be honest, he's the reason I started following cricket seriously." I followed it before, but I followed it even more through him. We keep in touch often.

Tennis star Novak Djokovic calls himself a big fan of India. He said he's been planning to visit India for a while and hopes to be there soon. He also jokingly said, "When I come to India, I hope Virat will be with me. We'll play a little tennis and a little cricket together. We'll have fun together, make good memories, and spread good vibes."

Serbian star Novak Djokovic, who has won a record 24 Grand Slams, thanked Indian fans, saying, "I will always be grateful for the love and support I've received from Indian fans over the years. My message is clear: 'See you in India soon,' because I need to go there. I've been making a point of visiting India for the past few years. I feel very close to the Indian people."

Tennis dominated this year's Laureus Awards in Madrid. Carlos Alcaraz was awarded the Sportsman of the Year. Aryna Sabalenka was awarded the Sportswoman of the Year.