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Novak Djokovic hilariously responded to Matteo Arnaldi after the Italian jokingly warned the Serb he was coming for him. Arnaldi, 22, was pictured pulling a Spider-man like split move on the court. Djokovic, whose flexibility is well-documented, is well-known for his outstanding athletic abilities.
"Tell us he is not spider man," Tennis Channel captioned its post. Arnaldi shared the post to his Instagram Story and wrote: "@djokernole I'm coming for you." Djokovic responded to Arnaldi: "First, you need to be facing the net and not the wall.
Then we can talk (two laughing emojis)."
Arnaldi grew up idolizing Djokovic
Arnaldi, ranked at No 46 in the world, got a chance to practice with Djokovic last year. For Arnaldi, it was more than just a practice since he got a chance to observe and learn from the best.
“Technically I found him extremely clean compared to the others I have played with up to now. His ball is very flat and you have a hard time playing with it, even on clay. It takes away your time, you can’t do anything you have in mind," Arnaldi said of practicing with Djokovic last year.
Also, practicing with Djokovic helped Arnaldi realize how important the mindset and attitude were in tennis. “After the first round played with Cilic and training with the world No 1 today, I realized that the difference with the greatest it’s in the level of tennis itself but in the way they act in the important moments.
The mind and the management of one’s own tennis make the difference. I realized that you have to be simple people and always remain humble. You have to be yourself and never get over your head to reach these levels, and stay there.
I hope to be able to do it too in the future," Arnaldi said. On the pro level, Arnaldi hasn't yet gotten a chance to play against Djokovic. It remains to be seen if Arnaldi will get a chance to clash against Djokovic in the near future.