“Who is this kid?”: Maria Sharapova once recalled Novak Djokovic bet that turned exhibition match into unexpected dinner date story

Novak Djokovic once did something unexpected early in his career. Long before he became a 24-time Grand Slam champion, he made a playful bet with Maria Sharapova, and it led to a dinner date. This was during the time when both players were still rising stars on tour, trying to find their place in the tennis world.

The story came out years later when Sharapova shared it herself during a 2020 Instagram live session with Djokovic.

What started as a simple mixed doubles match turned into a fun and slightly awkward moment that fans still talk about today.

Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova bet during exhibition match that led to a dinner date

The moment happened at an exhibition event in La Quinta, just before the Indian Wells tournament. Novak Djokovic saw his chance and made a bold move. He told Maria Sharapova that if he won the match, she would have to go out to dinner with him.Sharapova agreed, but she did not take it too seriously at first. Speaking on Djokovic’s Instagram live in 2020, she said:“I think we were playing a mixed doubles against each other and you said that if you win, I would have to get you dinner, and I was like, ‘OK, whatever. Who is this kid?’”

But Novak Djokovic won the match, and he did not forget the bet. Maria Sharapova recalled what happened next:“And you won and you’re like, ’We have dinner, tonight. We are going to the Japanese place’.

I was like, ‘Are you serious? You and me, going to dinner? Tonight?’ So we did. We ended up going to dinner.”It was a simple plan, but for Sharapova, it felt sudden and unexpected.

Maria Sharapova recalls funny dinner moment with Novak Djokovic including Kodak camera photo

The dinner itself turned into a funny memory. Sharapova said Djokovic brought along an old Kodak camera and asked a waiter to take their picture. That moment stayed with her.“It was so funny, because you pulled out this old Kodak camera and you asked the waiter to take a photo. This feels like I auctioned off myself for dinner!”She later spoke more about that time on the Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast.

Sharapova explained that both of them were still growing in their careers. She had already won a Grand Slam, while Djokovic was still working his way to the very top.“I remember we had won our first Grand Slams, it was at the time he was getting there, getting to the top and his body was not at the level of his tennis.”Today, both players have moved far ahead in life. Novak Djokovic has been married to Jelena Ristic since 2014, and Maria Sharapova has retired from tennis. But this light and honest story shows a different side of their early days, one that fans do not usually see.