Melbourne, Australia, 3 October 2024 | Leigh Rogers

Peter Bol is an Australian athletics star.

The 30-year-old holds the national 800-metre track record and is a three-time Olympian.

He created history at Tokyo 2020, becoming the first Australian in 53 years to qualify for an Olympic men’s 800-metre final. He finished fourth, missing out on a medal by 0.53 seconds.

Bol, who has completed a construction management degree and previously worked as an engineer, is also a motivational speaker and has appeared on reality television program SAS Australia.

In our Celebrity Match series, Bol reveals why he loves watching courtside at the Australian Open …

What do you enjoy most about the Australian Open?

I’m a massive fan and I’ve been quite lucky to come to the Australian Open every single year. I think Melbourne is the sporting capital of Australia and once you combine that with the weather, it’s unreal. It’s always very exciting to be there.

You were a special guest during the Novak and Friends charity night, held at Rod Laver Arena during Opening Week at Australian Open 2024. What was that experience like?

I think I was more nervous to have a run with him than I would be in an Olympic final. It was cool getting to walk onto Rod Laver Arena and be part of a different sport. It was also interesting to see an athlete like Novak be able to run, to be able to stretch and play basketball. He’s multi-talented, which is pretty cool.

Did you get a chance to talk to Novak much before or after the event?

I spoke to him a little bit behind the scenes and he was very generous with his time. He gave me some advice and said: ‘See you in Paris.’

Are there any other tennis players that you would love to meet?

I met Nick Kyrgios during the summer and I’m a massive fan of his. He’s doing amazing things off the court and we’ve got some of the same interests, like basketball, so hopefully I’ll get the chance to meet him a few more times.

Do you play tennis yourself?

Not really. I’ll have a hit every now and then, but I still need to improve a lot. I’m fast around the court, but I don’t have the agility that the top tennis players have. I can be fast running in a straight line, but being agile is pretty hard.

Peter Bol hitting with Novak Djokovic during Australian Open 2024. Picture: Getty Images

What do you enjoy most about tennis?

The best part of the game is probably how fast it is and watching it live, you can appreciate how good they are. You can follow it on television, but when you’re sitting courtside and trying to follow the ball it’s impossible. I had the chance to try and return one of Novak’s serves and that was impossible. It’s pretty hard when that ball comes flying at you.

As a professional athlete, what skills do you most marvel at when you watch tennis?

Probably their endurance. The players come out in the heat and can last for hours. Their mental capacity to do that and to be able to stay focused is unreal. That’s something I’d like to take from them, as well as being able to perform under all the pressure and circumstances they face on any given day.

> Read more interviews from our Celebrity Match series

Find your way to play: Visit play.tennis.com.au to get out on court and have some fun!