Djokovic and Nadal mix tennis with politics on Thailand trip

A Thai woman seller gives traditional loincloth to tennis players…

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in Thai national costume shirt Praratchathan at Government House’s market on Friday.

Tennis superstars Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal wore silk Thai national costume shirts to the Grand Palace to sign get-well notes for His Majesty the King ahead of their exhibition match in Bangkok on Friday night. A bomb exploded near Erawan Shrine on August. 17, killing 20 people and injuring more than 120.

In September Djokovic, 28, seized his 10th Grand Slam title and now stands just seven behind the record of Roger Federer, who he has defeated in the US Open final.

One requirement for the easy money in Thailand, apparently, was the dress code.

Tennis players Novak Djokovic, center, of Serbia and Rafael Nadal, left, of Spain give rackets to Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha during a meeting at Government House in Bangkok, Thailand Friday, October 2, 2015.

The two will face each other at Bangkok’s Hua Mark Indoor Stadium at 1300 GMT on Friday.

Djokovic last came to Thailand in 2008 when he lost the final of the Thailand Open to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, while Nadal visited the capital in 2010 for the same tournament and lost in the semifinals.