Back in their early tennis days, Maria Sharapova and Novak Djokovic shared a lighthearted memory that still makes them laugh. During an Instagram Live chat, the two former world number ones reminisced about the first time they met at Indian Wells, California.
Sharapova recalled how they played a small exhibition match in mixed doubles before either of them had achieved Grand Slam glory. Djokovic made a playful bet, telling her that if he won, she would have to treat him to dinner. “I thought, ‘Okay, who is this kid?’” Sharapova joked.
As fate would have it, Djokovic won the match and immediately declared, “We’re going to dinner tonight at a Japanese place.” Sharapova admitted she was surprised, asking, “Are you serious? You and me? Tonight?” But she agreed.
She went on to describe how Djokovic showed up with an old Kodak camera and asked the waiter to snap a photo of them. “I felt like I’d auctioned myself off for that dinner,” she laughed. While she couldn’t recall the details of the match, the dinner — and that vintage camera — stuck in her memory.
Djokovic confirmed the story but revealed that the photograph had been lost along the way after he misplaced the camera.
