“I’ll give him the pleasure of playing doubles with me” : Nick Kyrgios on practicing doubles with Novak Djokovic after sustaining long-term injury
Nick Kyrgios long-awaited return is finally upon us, as the Aussie is expected to take part in the Brisbane International which is already underway. Kyrgios’s first match after a series of injuries will be anything but easy as he is up against the hottest French star this year, Mpetshi Perricard in the Round of 32.
But fans are even more so excited about his return in the doubles segment, as Nick Kyrgios will be teaming up against none other than rival turned friend, Novak Djokovic. The duo will be seen battling it out in the Round of 32 on Monday against Alexander Erler and Andreas Mies.
“I honestly never thought I’d be back playing at this level” : Nick Kyrgios
Nick Kyrgios has time and again revealed that he did not expect to ever be back in action at a professional level due to the level of injuries he has sustained.
“I honestly never thought I’d be back playing at this level, even entering an event like this, preparing, doing all the right things.”
“I’m obviously a little bit… I don’t know if I’d call it nervous. When I was hitting on the stadium, playing [Reilly Opelka] who’s also had a couple of injuries, I guess we just reflected. It was surreal to be back out there. I took it all in. I’m really excited to just go out there and play, just play tennis.” the Aussie revealed ahead of the Brisbane International tournament.
But it is pleasant to see that his funny side has still not vanished even after the trauma sustained, as the 29-year-old reflected on Novak Djokovic ‘fanboying’ over the shot of playing tennis with him.
“I saw Novak in the gym, [I’m] playing doubles with him, there is a lot to be excited about, that I’m able to get out there and compete again. He kept messaging me over and over again. I was just like, I’ll give him a little handout and give him the pleasure of playing doubles with me.”
“It’s going to be a lot of fun. Look, a kid from Canberra gets to play with the greatest of all time in his home town in front of the fans is pretty special. It’s something that I’m able to tell people when it’s all said and done that I played doubles with him.
“It’s pretty special.” Kyrgios on playing with the Serbian.
Considering his last match was in June of 2023 and last Grand Slam at the 2022 US Open, we will likely not see the best of the Aussie for a while. Although, coming back after 18 months to play in front of your home crowd, that too along with a member of the ‘Big 3’ is a pretty good way of restarting your career.
