Canberra born Australian Tennis super star, Nick Kyrgios and former world number 1,Novak Djokovic are set to play doubles together at the Queensland tournament, kicking off on December 29. The event will serve as a warm-up for next month’s Australian Open, with Kyrgios securing a spot at Melbourne Park using an injury-protected ranking.
Kyrgios announced the news on Instagram, sharing a photo of himself and Djokovic walking onto the court ahead of their 2022 Wimbledon final, which he lost in four sets. “Doubles at Brisbane. See y’all there,” the Australian captioned the post.
The partnership fulfills a promise Djokovic made to Kyrgios during the 2024 Australian Open. “You’ve got to promise me something … recover quick, come back to the tour before I retire, and we’ve got to play doubles,” Djokovic told the Canberra-born star.
Kyrgios and Djokovic have grown close in recent years, with the Serbian legend offering support during Kyrgios’ injury struggles. The 29-year-old Aussie has played just one ATP match since the 2022 US Open quarter-finals due to serious wrist and knee injuries that required three surgeries.
Kyrgios recently credited a pep talk from Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, with inspiring his comeback. He admitted that he considered retiring after a slow recovery from wrist surgery but was encouraged to keep going after hitting with Djokovic at Wimbledon earlier this year.
Before the Brisbane event, Kyrgios will compete in the World Tennis League exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi starting December 19.