WATCH: Novak Djokovic tries to one-up Aryna Sabalenka by copying Belarusian's high kick, hilariously fails to hit his target

Novak Djokovic has been in his element at this year's Australian Open. The Serb defeated France's Adrian Mannarino 6-0, 6-0, 6-3 on Sunday (January 21) to reach the quarterfinals in Melbourne for the 14th time in his career.

Although the 36-year-old had a slow start to his campaign this week, he has kicked into high gear and will be the man to beat Down Under. Relatively untroubled in his last two matches, he has been in high spirits off the court.

Earlier on Monday (January 22), Novak Djokovic's shenanigans with his hitting partner Carlos Gomez-Herrera were captured by the backstage cameras at the Australian Open. The Serb tried to kick a bottle off the Spaniard's head, but hilariously failed as his leg couldn't stretch enough to reach the target.

Interestingly enough, the 24-time Major winner was trying to copy Aryna Sabalenka. The Belarusian's video featuring a high kick above one of her team member's head to knock an unidentified object off his head went viral on Sunday.

The Serb and the Belarusian also shared a fun moment during a recent exhibition mixed doubles match against the Greek pair of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari. The 36-year-old and his younger partner got playful with each other; while he made hilarious hand gestures to her, she complimented his derriere as he stood at the net.

Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka looking to defend their 2023 titles in Melbourne

The defending Australian Open champions

Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka solidified their bid to defend their respective Australian Open titles during the first week of the ongoing tournament. While the Serb has had to overcome wrist niggles and a viral infection to win matches, the Belarusian is yet to drop a single set in her four matches in Melbourne thus far.

Sabalenka's campaign for the 2024 Australian Open title has thus been more seamless than Djokovic's challenge for a record-extending 11th Norman Brooke Challenge Cup. The women's World No. 2 has only dropped 11 games on her way to the last eight.

The men's World No. 1, meanwhile, dropped a set in each of his first two matches against Dino Prizmic and Alexei Popyrin. He played better in the third round and the fourth round, winning both matches without dropping his serve.

Djokovic and Sabalenka, however, will have their work cut out in the quarterfinals. While the Serb is set to resume his rivalry with the 12th-seeded Taylor Fritz, the Belarusian will take on former French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova.