"One thing I'd beat you in" - Nick Kyrgios reacts to Novak Djokovic showing his basketball skills during Cincinnati Open

Nick Kyrgios recently joked that he is better than former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic at basketball. His remarks came after the Serb demonstrated his basketball skills during the Cincinnati Open.

Djokovic is on a roll at the 2023 Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, advancing to the semifinals by defeating the likes of Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Gael Monfils, and Taylor Fritz.

Away from the action at the Masters 1000 event, the Serb took to social media to share a few clips of a short session on a basketball court with Andrey Rublev. He asked the president of the Russian Basketball Federation. Andrei Kirilenko, to evaluate their performance after scoring a three-pointer.

"Some hoops with @andreyrublev from earlier today. @ak47russ what do you think of our skill?" the 23-time Grand Slam champion wrote on Instagram.

In light of this, Kyrgios joked in the post's comment section that basketball is the one sport in which he will undoubtedly defeat Djokovic, writing:

"This is one thing I’d beat you in hahahahahahaha."

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"Yeah, some positives, some negatives, in the end of the day, it's kind of expected" - Novak Djokovic on his form

Novak Djokovic pictured at a press conference.

When asked about his current form at a Cincinnati Open press conference, Novak Djokovic stated that it is difficult to rate himself at this moment and provided some game analysis to back up his claim. He said:

"Well, difficult to rate, in a way, based on one set, you know, relatively short set. There was not many exchanges from baseline, you know, mostly dominated by, you know, the serve games. I did make couple of breaks. I lost the serve once," he explained.

Djokovic went on to say that his form is a mix of positives and negatives and that it will take him a bit more gameplay to get back into shape as the tournament progresses.

"Yeah, some positives, some negatives. But in the end of the day, it's kind of expected. First match coming back. It will probably take a few sets for me to really get things going in a right way," the 36-year-old said.

"Honestly, I mean, I was very surprised with how quick it is and how much ball actually flies through the air. Balls are very bouncy here, very alive. Yeah, I guess, as the tournament progresses, the player feels more comfortable," he added.

Djokovic will next lock horns with German Alexander Zverev in the semifinals of the 2023 Western & Southern Open on Sunday, August 20.