CINCINNATI -- As he rose to the upper echelon of the game in 2007, Novak Djokovic was known as much for his impressions as for his tennis.
VIDEO: Novak Djokovic Puts On Blonde Wig, Imitates Maria Sharapova
Though they were not always warmly received by the subjects of his impersonations, Djokovic obliged by performing them on after wins, including during the late rounds of his run to the 2007 US Open final.
His caricature of Maria Sharapova was especially popular.
Though he had shelved the impressions for the last few years (since winning the 2008 Australian Open), Djokovic tried his hand at more impersonations recently for a video for Head, his racquet company. Djokovic switched from Wilson to Head in 2009, and Sharapova switched from Prince to Head in 2010.
And unlike his somewhat impromptu post-match performances, this time Djokovic came prepared, sporting a blonde wig.
After her quarterfinal win over Samantha Stosur, I asked Sharapova about her thoughts on Novak’s wigged production.
SBN: Speaking of giving commentary, you gave some on Facebook about a video Novak did doing an impression of you in a blonde wig.
Maria Sharapova: Uh huh, yeah. (Smiling.)
SBN: What are your thoughts on that, and what does it take to do a good Maria Sharapova impression in your mind?
Maria Sharapova: All I can say is it's on between me and him. It is on like Donkey Kong. (Laughing.)Yeah, I have a few ideas in my mind that I've talked to Head about. I'm going to get him back, no doubt about it.
SBN: Are you going to do a better job than him? He didn't even wear a dress.
Maria Sharapova: He didn't, I know, and I don't think he had the right shade of blonde either. I think he exaggerated that, among other things.
But it's fun. We always have a good laugh. Just one of the many things he does pretty well and funny.
For Sharapova to copy Djokovic shouldn’t be too hard. Just something smeared in DayGlo paint and shun gluten while only losing one match per year. Easy.
Stay tuned to SB Nation’s coverage of the 2011 US Open Series at SBNation.com as well as on Twitter, @DailyForehand .
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