Just last month, Aryna Sabalenka admitted she had borrowed some technical tricks from her good friend Novak Djokovic, and the two share a strong friendship both on and off the court. From trading shots in practice to trading jokes in press conferences, the duo clearly share plenty of banter. Now, with Sabalenka and Djokovic set to team up for the much-anticipated US Open mixed doubles, the WTA World No. 1 has already taken a hilarious dig at the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

Sabalenka spilled the beans about her mixed doubles partnership after powering through her first match at the Cincinnati Masters. And then, while talking about their game strategy, she made a cheeky remark about Djokovic.

“Well, you know, he was begging me to play with him,” she said during a post-match interview. “I said ‘you know what… Of course legend, I’ll help you out. Let’s try to have fun and go for the title.’ So I guess it’s true. We are playing. It’s gonna be so much fun. I’m super excited.”

This will be her first completed mixed doubles draw at the US Open. She attempted it last year with Dimitrov but withdrew She had formed a pair alongside Grigor Dimitrov for the event last year, but had to pull out after the latter sustained a pectoral injury. On the other hand, Djokovic participated in the event last year and played alongside fellow Serbian player, Olga Danilovic.

Both Djokovic and Sabalenka are known to focus mostly on singles, and it’s rare to see them compete in doubles. For context, Djokovic’s last appearance in doubles came at the Indian Wells Masters, where he formed a partnership with Stefanos Tsitsipas. As for Sabalenka, she last played a competitive doubles draw at the Brisbane International earlier this year, where she paired with her good friend, Paula Badosa.

While this may be the first time that Djokovic and Sabalenka will participate in a doubles draw, fans have wanted to see the two play together for quite some time. This is because they share a warm friendship off the court. They have been seen training together on numerous occasions and also support one another on the Tour. Considering their close friendship, they can indeed form a very strong doubles pair.

Notably, ahead of their Wimbledon campaigns last year, Sabalenka and Djokovic found themselves on the same practice court at the All England Club. For Sabalenka, it was a chance to learn directly from one of the biggest names the sport has ever produced. Looking back on the session, the Belarusian was clearly impressed by what she had taken away from it.

“Novak is the best. First of all, I was able to hit with him, which not every guy would be able to do. Then you can chat with him. He will give his honest advice. It’s amazing to hear the opinion of such a legend,” the Belarusian said. Their conversation then turned to the parts of Sabalenka’s game she felt needed some polishing.

“We were just chatting about stuff that I’m kind of struggling with a little bit. I’m really thankful for the advice he gave me,” added Sabalenka. And then Djokovic unexpectedly popped into Sabalenka’s press conference, sat beside her, and offered his own verdict on her game.

“I think you have the potential,” Djokovic joked to Sabalenka. “You’re a really talented player. You have nice strokes, good technique. Can I be honest? You’re lacking intensity on the court. You don’t have enough intensity. It’s too flat. You’ve got to lighten up a little bit, put some power in it.”

The exchange pretty much summed up their dynamic. And when it comes to taking her game up another notch, Sabalenka has clearly been happy to learn from Djokovic.

But there are some major concerns regarding Djokovic’s form and fitness heading into the US Open. Not only did he get knocked out in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters by Thiago Agustin Tirante, but he also appeared unwell during the match, later revealing he had vomited due to heat. Notably, Djokovic appeared to have puked during the match due to the intense heat and later revealed that he has been struggling with a health condition that makes it difficult for him to cope with the hot conditions.

As Djokovic heads to Flushing Meadows, he is well aware that all eyes will be on him not just during the mixed doubles event, but in the singles draw as well. The same can be said for Sabalenka, who is yet to win a Grand Slam this year and can lose her No. 1 spot in the rankings to Elena Rybakina if she suffers an early exit.

But Djokovic and Sabalenka aren’t the only mixed doubles pairing that will be under the spotlight during the mixed doubles event. Just like last year, there are several pairs that fans are very excited to see at Flushing Meadows.

Many headline players have formed mixed doubles pairs at the US Open

The mixed doubles event will see a number of top players form pairs for the first time ever. This includes the likes of Elena Rybakina-Taylor Fritz, Iga Swiatek-Casper Ruud, Mirra Andreeva-Andrey Rublev, Alexandra Eala-Felix Auger-Aliassime, Jessica Pegula-Jack Draper, Diana Shnaider-Daniil Medvedev, Naomi Osaka-Kei Nishikori, Venus Williams-Alexander Bublik, Katie Boulter-Alex de Minaur, Elina Svitolina-Gael Monfils, and more.

Last year’s winning pair, Sara Errani-Andrea Vavassori, will also be participating in the event this year. They had won the event after entering the draw through a wildcard last year.

Initially, a total of 16 pairs had signed up for the mixed doubles event. But the US Open had then added 13 more pairs to the fray, taking the total to 29 pairs. With so many exciting pairs competing, this year’s event is expected to grab a lot of attention once again. It will commence on August 24 during the Fan Week of the US Open.

Some of the notable players who aren’t a part of the mixed doubles event this year are Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff, and Serena Williams. While Alcaraz had participated in the event last year, Sinner and Gauff had stayed away from it. On the other hand, even though Serena was expected to play mixed doubles, she has surprisingly not signed up for the event.