BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Exchanging smiles, laughs and flashy shots, Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios teamed up in doubles Monday as they both returned to the court in preparation for the Australian Open.
The two former Wimbledon final opponents reached the second round of the Brisbane International with a 6-4, 6-7 (4), 10-8 victory against Alexander Erler and Andreas Mies.
It was Kyrgios’ first match in 18 months due to wrist and knee injuries, while Djokovic missed the season-ending ATP Finals last month with an unspecified injury.
They brought the crowd to their feet several times at Pat Rafter Arena, including when Djokovic fired a backhand winner around the net during the first set. Djokovic then turned to a smiling Kyrgios, who slapped Djokovic’s outstretched hand in celebration.
“It’s just an iconic Novak moment. The way this guy moves on the field, I’ve never moved like that in my life. I loved it,” said Krygios, who treated the crowd to his own shots.
When Kygrios won another point after another extravagant shot – playing the ball between his legs, known as a tweener – he proudly ran around the court with a smiling Djokovic chasing him.
Then, after Kyrgios sealed the victory with an ace, both men jumped into the air to bump chests.
“We tried to get the public on our side” Djokovic said. “Get that energy and just use it for good tennis.”
Kyrgios lost to Djokovic in the 2022 Wimbledon final, but the 29-year-old Australian had not played tennis since June 2023.
“This injury was brutal for me, so I didn’t take any of it for granted,” Kyrgios later said in a court interview. “I don’t know how many Australian summers I have left, so I was looking around and loving the energy and I’m so happy to be back here.”
Djokovic, 37, has won the Australian Open singles title a record 10 times and has 24 men’s majors. He has 99 singles titles in total but only one doubles title.
Kyrgios won the 2022 Australian Open doubles title alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis and said the time was right to team up with Djokovic in Brisbane before the start of the Australian Open next month.
“We promised to do this one more time before he or I left, so I’m glad we’re still alive,” Kyrgios said.
Djokovic quickly accepted the idea.
“He said the other day that it should be a pleasure to play with him, and it is. I’m happy to share the court with him when he returns,” Djokovic said. “I haven’t played so many doubles matches in my life.”
They earned a wild-card entry into the doubles tournament and will next face top-seeded duo Nikola Mektic and Michael Venus.
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