Novak Djokovic teases Aryna Sabalenka as Serb shows off old stylish photoshoot amid duo’s Canadian Open absence

Novak Djokovic is no stranger to pulling Aryna Sabalenka’s leg, and he was at it again recently as he teased the Belarusian over posing for photoshoots. The former ATP No. 1 and 24-time Major champion shares a strong friendship with the reigning WTA No. 1, and while the two have often spoken highly of each other, they have also engaged in some fun banter over the years.

On Thursday, July 31, the 38-year-old took to his Instagram and shared five pictures. All the pictures were from a GQ photoshoot dating back to January this year. The shoot took place by the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro. Djokovic teased Sabalenka through the post’s caption, writing:

“Throwback to my @gq shoot. This is how you strike a pose, @arynasabalenka 😆”

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On the tennis front, Sabalenka and Djokovic are both absent from the ongoing WTA 1000 and ATP Masters 1000 events at the 2025 National Bank Open in Montreal and Toronto respectively.

Both players were last seen in action at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, where Sabalenka finished as a semifinalist in the women's singles category and Djokovic also finished in the last four on the men's singles side. Their withdrawals from the National Bank Open stemmed from their decision to prioritize rest and recovery after deep runs at SW19.

Aryna Sabalenka is yet to respond to Novak Djokovic's playful dig, but considering the pair's past banter, it's fair to assume that the Belarusian is likely to issue a rebuttal. At this year's French Open, the two poked fun at each other over their respective post-win dance celebrations.

Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka engaged in playful banter as pair hilariously compared dance celebrations at French Open 2025

In the fourth round of men's singles matches at the 2025 French Open, Novak Djokovic defeated Cameron Norrie. After leaving the court, Djokovic performed a dance to celebrate his win over the Brit. Subsequently, Aryna Sabalenka performed a dance celebration of her own following her victory against Zheng Qinwen in the women's singles quarterfinals.

Later, a tennis fan page on Instagram shared a video and urged fans to cast their votes and pick the better performance. The Serb later posted the video on his Instagram stories and claimed his performance to be superior compared to the Belarusian's.

"Of course I did it better," he captioned the post.

Sabalenka later posted an Instagram story featuring the video that the ATP legend posted and through the caption, the Belarusian quipped back at Djokovic, writing:

"Hahaha you wish!!!"

Both players are expected to feature next at the Cincinnati Open before they turn their attention to this year's US Open.

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Sudipto Pati

Sudipto is a Tennis journalist at Sportskeeda holding a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. He has an experience of 3+ years across the market research, travel, health, lifestyle and sports sectors.

Sudipto has followed Tennis since the early 2000s and stays up-to-date with the sport by following both active and former Tennis players, and seasoned journalists. He also follows ATP and WTA updates, watches documentaries and interviews of professionals, and only reads esteemed publications. He sources all information for his articles only from credible publications stays away from unsubstantiated claims. In just a matter of 3 months, he has gained a readership of almost 2 million at Sportskeeda!

Sudipto admires Rafael Nadal for his fiercely competitive on-court nature and his ability to make memorable comebacks after injury layoffs. The Spaniard may be the GOAT for him, but he also respects the accomplishments of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

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