Both of them are athletes with strong claims to be considered the greatest to have played their respective sports and when Virat Kohli met Roger Federer at the Australian Open recently, the admiration seems to have been mutual.

Kohli, before leaving Australia for the ongoing one-day international series against New Zealand, spent a day at Melbourne Park and had a chance to meet with his idol Federer. This was not the first time the two have met and it seems Federer recollected meeting the Indian captain before, which left Kohli stunned.

“It was amazing,” Kohli told Sky Sport (NZ) during the New Zealand ODI series. “I’ve met him a couple of times before and the fact that he remembered me was crazy. He told me he met me in Sydney a few years back when he was playing an exhibition match and I was like, ‘Wow, he remembers me!’ I can’t explain that feeling. I’ve watched him play since I was a child. He’s a great tennis player but also a great man and a great human being.”

The two spoke apparently spoke about the mental aspect of their lives as top athletes.

“He kept asking me questions,” said Kohli. “We were talking about mindsets in sport, how he prepares, what he thinks about his sport. It was a beautiful, beautiful time.”

Kohli has since left New Zealand after he was rested for the remainder of the series which India are currently leading 3-0. The two ODIs will be followed by three T20 Internationals for which Rohit Sharma has been named captain.