Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios made a winning start to their men’s doubles partnership at the Brisbane International R32 clash at the Pat Rafter Arena in Tennyson, Australia on Monday.
The Serb-Australian pair clinched a 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 10-8 victory over Alexander Erler and Andreas Mies to the delight of the Brisbane crowd.
The victory meant a winning start for Djokovic under new coach Andy Murray and Kyrgios’s first win after returning to the court after 18 months.
“That was awesome! An amazing atmosphere. Great to be back,” said Djokovic.
“I want to thank Nick for playing. He said the other day it should be a pleasure to play with him and it is!
“I’m glad to share the court with him on his comeback. I haven’t played many doubles matches, so whatever Nick was saying I was following.”
Kyrgios added: “I was surprised he doubted himself a little bit in some moments and I was like ‘brother, you’re the greatest of all time, go for it, do what you have to do’.
“I was looking around at all the fans and this beautiful stadium. This injury has been brutal for me, so I wasn’t taking this for granted. I don’t know how many Aussie summers I’ve got left.
“We promised we were going to do this one time before he goes or I go.”
Djokovic and Kyrgios have developed a close friendship since their last meeting at the 2022 Wimbledon where the Serbian emerged victorious.
The duo will next face top-seeded Nikola Mektic and Michael Venus on Wednesday.