Aryna Sabalenka reacts cheekily when asked if she can defeat Novak Djokovic in a head-to-head battle

World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka gave a cheeky response when questioned about her chances in a potential match against men's World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

Sabalenka recently participated in the Dubai Tennis Championships, her first tournament back on the tour after her title triumph at the Australian Open. She would have been hoping to continue her purple patch at the WTA 1000 event but suffered a surprising opening round exit.

The Belarusian will now be eager to perform well at the Indian Wells Open and the Miami Open. Before a practice session in preparation for the North American swing, Sabalenka interacted with fans in a light-hearted Q&A session on social media.

When one of her fans questioned Sabalenka about defeating Novak Djokovic in a head-to-head battle, the Belarusian nonchalantly backed herself to get the job done. Their interaction can be seen below:

"Are you going to win against Djokovic?" questioned an unknown fan.

"Easy call 😂," Aryna Sabalenka said via Instagram stories.

Aryna Sabalenka has some fun on the tennis court with her fans

Djokovic and Sabalenka share a friendly relationship, and often interact during the Grand Slams. They recently teamed up for an exhibition match during the Australian Open pre-tournament festivities and put on an entertaining show for the Melbourne crowd.

During a pre-tournament interview at the Dubai Tennis Championships, Sabalenka was informed about a fortunate coincidence. The interviewer highlighted that training with Djokovic and his team last year has coincided with back-to-back Australian Open titles for the Belarusian.

On learning about that, Sabalenka cheekily gave the Serb credit for guiding her. She also expressed a wish to connect with him in the future to win more titles.

Here is an excerpt from the interview:

"Aryna, I remember in the XO in Abu Dhabi the year before, you were hanging around with Novak. Same team, training together. Next thing you know you're winning back-to-back Australian Opens. Have you talked about this and are you trying to pull a Novak there?" the World No. 2 was asked.

"I guess I need to speak more often to Novak maybe. Maybe that's why I'm winning. I need to talk about that," Aryna Sabalenka responded. "But, no, we didn't joke around about the topic."

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Aryna Sabalenka's record at the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open

Aryna Sabalenka at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships - Day 3

After a disappointing campaign in Dubai, Aryna Sabalenka will now turn her attention towards the North American hardcourt swing at the upcoming Indian Wells Open and Miami Open.

Sabalenka has a decent record at Indian Wells, chalking up eight wins from 12 matches in her four appearances at the event so far. She was one win away from clinching the title last year, but couldn't get past Elena Rybakina in the finals.

At the Miami Open, the 25-year-old has garnered seven wins from 12 matches since making her first appearance in 2018. She outsmarted the likes of Marie Bouzkova and Barbora Krejcikova en route to the quarterfinals last year but eventually fell to Romanian talent Sorana Cirstea.

Sabalenka will be hoping to stamp her authority at both WTA 1000 events this year and finish the hardcourt season on a high. The Indian Wells is scheduled to kick off on March 6 and the Miami Open will begin on March 17.