Kyrgios-Djokovic duo triumph in Brisbane International opener

Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic got their 2025 tennis seasons underway with a thrilling doubles victory over Alexander Erler and Andreas Mies on Monday evening at the Brisbane International.

The high-profile duo were playing together for the first time, with Kyrgios making his return to professional tennis after an injury-riddled past two years and Djokovic seeking to regain form after a down year in 2024.

Their combination did not disappoint, generating plenty of shots for the highlights reel as they edged out Erler and Mies 6-4, 6-7(4), 10-8 in an hour and 48 minutes.

“It was amazing, thank you all for coming, the atmosphere was great,” Djokovic said on-court after the match.

“Nick said it should be a pleasure for me to play with him, and it was.

“I haven’t played many doubles in my life, especially in the last few years, so I listened to everything he told me.”

Kyrgios and Djokovic were on top for the majority of the encounter, generating six break points over the two sets and holding their own serves with more ease.

However, Erler and Mies did well to hang in the match, stealing the second set in a tiebreak and forcing a match tiebreak.

After sealing the match with an ace, Kyrgios shared with the boisterous Brisbane crowd what it was like to play alongside the greatest player of all time.

“I was surprised that he doubted himself at times,” he said.

“I said to myself, ‘You’re the best of all time, go ahead, do what you want!’

“I looked at the fans, this beautiful, full stadium, I enjoyed the energy and was happy to be there.

“The injury was a real ordeal for me.

“I don’t know how many Australian tours I have left.

“I don’t take anything for granted.”

In their next match, Kyrgios and Djokovic face an even sterner challenge against top seeds Nikola Mektic and Michael Venus.

Still, tennis bookmakers have the Australian-Serbian pair as slight favourites to prevail, with Bet365 paying $1.57 to $2.25 in their favour.

In the meantime, both Kyrgios and Djokovic play their opening singles matches on Tuesday in Brisbane.

Kyrgios faces fellow big-server Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, with tennis betting sites setting their odds to win at $1.90 each way.

Djokovic is a heavier BlondeBet favourite when he plays Aussie Rinky Hijikata in the evening session, returning just $1.06 to book his spot in the next round.

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