At the Brisbane International, tennis athletes Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgious thrilled fans on their doubles debut, defeating Alexander Erler and Andreas Mies 6-4, 6-7(4).
Over the past years, the two athletes have changed from rivals to friends. Their unity was felt at the Pat Rafter Arena, which was packed with fans who yelled their names and added excitement to the environment during the match.
After their victory, Djokovic said: “I want to thank Nick for playing… He said the other day that 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 too many doubles matches … in the last five years so whatever Nick was saying, I was following.”
With a powerful serve that almost won the first match, Australian Kyrgios made his tour-level comeback after missing nearly 18 months of action due to ailments to his knee, foot, and wrist. Despite everything, he didn’t exhibit any signs of rust.
Kygrios admitted that he did not want to take advantage of his comeback and stated, “I was just looking around at all the fans, this beautiful stadium. My comeback, this injury has been brutal … I don’t know how many Aussie summers I’ve got left… I was loving the energy. I’m so happy to be back out here. We promised we’d do this one time before either he goes or I go. So I’m glad we’re still alive (in the doubles).”
In a social media post, Kygrios said: “Honestly was emotional for me tonight. Soaking it all in….. after the last 18 months was never EVER thinking to play professional tennis ever again. I want to thank the EPIC crowd and my fans for the support ❤️👑🙏🏽 I’ll do everything in my power to try and get on the court!”
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Moreover, Djokovic posted on his Instagram: “Good trouble. Nice start. Idemooo @k1ngkyrg1os… 🇦🇺”
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Source: CNA