Nick Kyrgios has announced he will play doubles with Novak Djokovic at the Brisbane International, starting on December 29.
The Australian tennis star credited Djokovic for motivating his return from injury, saying the former world number one’s encouragement played a key role in his comeback.
Kyrgios shared the news on Instagram with a photo of himself and Djokovic walking onto the court before their 2022 Wimbledon final, captioning it: “Doubles at Brisbane. See y’all there.”
The Brisbane event will serve as a warm-up for January’s Australian Open, where Kyrgios has secured a spot using an injury-protected ranking.
The unlikely doubles pairing follows a shift in their relationship from rivals to friends. During this year’s Australian Open, Djokovic urged Kyrgios to team up with him before retirement, saying, “You’ve got to promise me something… recover quick, come back to the tour before I retire and we’ve got to play doubles.”
Kyrgios has played just one ATP match since the 2022 US Open due to wrist and knee injuries that required three surgeries. He revealed that a pep talk from Djokovic after a practice session at Wimbledon was pivotal.
“I was hitting with Novak and when he said to me, ‘It doesn’t look like you’ve had surgery,’ and that was a big motivation,” Kyrgios said.
Before Brisbane, Kyrgios will play in the World Tennis League exhibition in Abu Dhabi on December 19, joining stars like Iga Świątek, Casper Ruud, and Daniil Medvedev.
Source: ABC News.
