(VIDEO) Novak Djokovic left stunned by Steve Smith's tennis skills as 24-time Grand Slam champion fails with cricket bait

The Australian cricket icon, Steve Smith, participated in one of the promotional exhibitions before the Australian Open and showcased his tennis skills to Novak Djokovic. The 24-times Grand Slam champion was the protagonist at the "A Night With Novak and Friends" event at Rod Laver Arena on Thursday, January 11.

Djokovic tried his hand at cricket, one of the most popular sports in Australia, but was not fortunate when facing a couple of balls from the late legendary spinner Shane Warne's son, Jackson.

Later, the 10-times Aussie Open champion tried his luck by challenging Smith to a tennis point with Djokovic's serve. Without giving any advantages, Djokovic delivered a first serve, and surprisingly, Smith responded well to the ball, prompting Nole to play it into his body.

Djokovic ventured into basketball, achieving a flawless dunk with an assist from American basketball star Alan Travis Williams. Following the successful dunk, he exhibited his style by reenacting LeBron James' 'The Silencer' celebration.

In addition to Test Captain Steve Smith, Australian middle-distance runner Peter Bol and local gymnast Georgia Godwin joined the event:

The 24-times Grand Slam champion entered the tournament as the 4th seed and secured comfortable victories in the first round against Roberto Carballes Baena (6-3, 6-4, 6-0) and then against Enzo Couacaud (6-1, 6-7, 6-2, 6-0). In the third round, he faced the 27th seed Grigor Dimitrov but didn't drop a set to secure another win (7-6, 6-3, 6-4).

In the second week of the tournament, he dominated the local hope, the 22nd seed Alex De Minaur, with a convincing score of 6-2, 6-1, 6-2. In the quarterfinals, he once again overwhelmed the 5th seed Andrey Rublev with a score of 6-1, 6-2, 6-4. Facing the surprising Tommy Paul, he secured the semifinal with a score of 7-5, 6-1, 6-2, setting the stage for his 10th title quest in Melbourne against Stefanos Tsitsipas. Once again, he did not drop a set, winning his 22nd Grand Slam with a score of 6-3, 7-6, 7-6.