It’s not often you’ll see a doubles match as the main story of any tournament.
But former foes turned friends Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios set Pat Rafter Arena alight on Monday evening.
The tennis world’s focus was entirely on Brisbane to see Kyrgios’s comeback and how the pair would play together.
They put on a show in an entertaining win over Alexander Erler and Andreas Mies 6-4 6-7 10-8.
It was Kyrgios' first tour match since June 2023 and his physical movement and shotmaking were highly promising.
Kyrgios told the capacity crowd that he was appreciating every moment he had on court.
“This injury has been brutal for me, so I wasn't taking any of this for granted, I don’t know how many Aussie summers I've got left,” he said.
“So I was just looking around and loving the energy and just so happy to be back down here.”
It was an entertaining game though Kyrgios was more interested in the result than playing up to the crowd.
“I’m trying to be professional,” he said.
“Which Nick Kyrgios do you want, the one that breaks rackets and does tweeners or the one that is focused and gets a win? I tried to find that balance tonight.”
It was Djokovic’s first match in Brisbane since the 2020 ATP Cup and he praised Kyrgios' return to the tour.
“I'm glad to share the court with him on his comeback,” he said.
“I haven't played many doubles matches in my life, to be honest, particularly the last five years. So whatever Nick was saying I was following, actually.”
Thompson gets Revenge for Australia
Earlier in the day, eighth seed Jordan Thompson won a highly contested match against Italy’s Matteo Berrettini 3-6 6-3 6-4.
Berrettini broke Australian hearts in this year’s Davis Cup semi-final with a tight win over Thanasi Kokkinakis.
The 30-year-old Aussie used the home crowd support to overcome a strong start from Berrettini.
“He was serving unbelievably at the start and wasn’t missing many first serves,” Thompson said.
“I thought I’d try and throw him off his rhythm. I think I might have just jagged a lucky break and maybe just got it started.
Thompson is defending points from a semi-final run in Brisbane last year, where he overcame Rafael Nadal and commenced a career-best year on tour to date.
“He’s one of my childhood heroes and taking him down on this court in a quarter-final on a Friday night really kickstarted my year,” he said.
Thompson next plays American Alex Michelsen who took down fellow Aussie Chris O’Connell.
It was heartbreak for O’Connell, who went down 6-4 4-6 7-6 and 12-10 in the deciding set tiebreak.
Birrell Triumphs in All-Aussie Affair
For the second day running, two Aussie women faced each other on Pat Rafter Arena.
Wildcard Kimberly Birrell outlasted qualifier Priscilla Hon in an up-and-down match 3-6 7-5 6-2.
Birrell comes off another strong year on tour, reaching her first WTA final at the Japan Open in October.
She next plays second-seed American Emma Navarro.
Aussies in Day Three Action
Four Aussie men take to the court today, headlined by the Kyrigos and Djokovic show again on Pat Rafter Arena.
Kyrgios' singles return comes against 6’8” big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetschi Perricard.
Meanwhile, Djokovic will have less support on his side as he takes on Australia’s own Rinky Hijikata.
Aussie Alexander Popyrin takes on Italian Matteo Arnaldi on Court 1 followed by North Queensland’s own Adam Walton up against fourth seed Frances Tiafoe.
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