Novak Djokovic and Grigor Dimitrov engage in friendly warm-up session just few hours before Miami Open showdown

Novak Djokovic and Grigor Dimitrov engaged in a friendly warm-up practice session with just a few hours remaining in their highly anticipated Miami Open semifinal clash. Both men share a strong friendship but will have to put it on pause as they look to reach their first final of 2025.

It is no secret to tennis fans that Djokovic and Dimitrov share a strong bond despite being the toughest of rivals on the tennis court. The two friends are set to face each other in the semifinal of the 2025 Miami Open, which will be the oldest Masters 1000 semifinal in ATP history, with the two of them being over the combined age of 70 years.

While preparing for their match, both men decided to warm up together in a friendly session. The Serb shared a clip on his Instagram story where both men were hitting balls using different halves of the tennis court.

Via Djokovic’s Instagram | Source: IG/@djokernole

The 37-year-old is seeded fourth in the tournament and kicked off his campaign with a win over Rinky Hijikata, following which he defeated Camilo Ugo Carabelli and 15th seed Lorenzo Musetti. In the quarterfinal, he defeated 24th seed Sebastian Korda 6-3, 7-6(4). He has yet to drop a set.

Meanwhile, the 33-year-old is seeded 14th and had comfortable win over Federico Cina to start his run. He then impressively defeated the 22nd seed Karen Khachanov and the 31st seed Brandon Nakashima to reach the quarterfinals, where he defeated the 23rd seed Francisco Cerundolo 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3) to reach the final four.

'I get along very well with Grigor, he's a good friend' - Novak Djokovic

Grigor Dimitrov And Novak Djokovic - Source: Getty

Following his win over Sebastian Korda, Novak Djokovic heaped praise on Grigor Dimitrov during an on-court interview while touching upon their friendship. However, he was also ready to take on the Bulgarian in what he called the "toughest match" of his campaign.

"He deserves that, I mean, he works as hard as anybody, and I get along very well with Grigor, he's a good friend. Obviously, tomorrow on the court, we both want to win against each other, and we played so many times versus each other in all the tournaments, all the surfaces. He's such an experienced player and obviously in form, finals last year, semis now again this year. I've got to be ready for the toughest match so far."

The two men have faced each other 13 times, with the Serb boasting an overwhelming 12-1 lead. The winner of their match will play either Jakub Mensik or Taylor Fritz in the final.