Virat Kohli, ‘the reason' behind Novak Djokovic following cricket: ‘We keep in touch’

Amid the ever-growing fanfare around Kohli, the 24-time Grand Slam winner opened up on his bond with the legendary batter, saying he started following cricket because of Kohli. He further stated that he really admires and respects the 37-year-old and wants to meet him in India.

“Yes, Virat is a friend and someone I, of course, respect and admire. Excuse me. He's actually, to be honest, the reason why I started following cricket. I haven't followed it. So through him, I started following it more,” Djokovic told Times Now on the sidelines of the Laureus World Sports Awards on Tuesday.

Last year, Kohli attended Wimbledon, where he watched the match between Djokovic and Alex de Minaur. The Serbian won the fourth-round fixture, and Kohli then took to Instagram to congratulate the former World No.1. Djokovic then responded, thanking Kohli for his kind words.

“My message is always love, respect, and appreciation for, first of all, all the support over the years that I personally have been receiving from all the Indian tennis fans and Indian sports fans around the world. There are so many that I've been meeting all this time. And my message would also be 'See you very soon in India because I need to go to India. I've been feeling a calling to come for the last couple of years,” said Djokovic.

“So I really hope that I'll be able to come to India and do an event, play a match, or whatever it is. I really wish for that because I feel very close to Indian people,” he added.

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