Brisbane is packed with hype. 24-time Major winner Novak Djokovic is due for a tour date. After suffering a defeat at the hands of Jannik Sinner at the Shanghai Masters, Djokovic withdrew from the Paris Masters and the season-ending Turin finals but, will now return to the fold. After flying over for the season-opening event in Brisbane, Nole awaits his doubles blockbuster with his Aussie partner Nick Kyrgios. And, he has something to say about it.

The Serb went through an ATP title plague for the 2024 season. He reached the final of Wimbledon for the second consecutive year, only to suffer the same fate at the hands of the same rival. Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz outclassed him in straight sets at the All-England Club. Though Nole exacted revenge on young Carlitos at the Olympic Games – winning the gold medal quest against him – his tour-level performances remained shy nonetheless. However, the Serb was committed to bringing a change. So he joined forces with his arch-rival.

Djokovic welcomed Andy Murray, his competitor-turned-friend, as his coach for the Melbourne Slam in 2025. While their appearance at the AO still awaits, the Serb, in the meantime, has teamed up with his 2022 Wimbledon rival Kyrgios for a doubles outing in Brisbane. Moments after arriving at the venue, Djokovic let fans in on his thoughts about the exciting alliance.

He said, “That’s going to be fun. We’ve never teamed up. Let’s see umm… we texted about it, we spoke earlier in Wimbledon about playing together when he was back on tour so got a first chance right away in the first week of the season so should be fun.”

Well, Djokovic isn’t the only one looking forward to this partnership. Kyrgios also can’t wait to fire their combined talents.

Nick Kyrgios attempts to one-up  Novak Djokovic with “pleasure” remark for ‘double trouble’

Nick Kyrgios is one of the finest, and feistiest talents ever produced by the sport. Though his potential has almost always been overshadowed due to his outlandish behavior, it hasn’t stopped him from proving naysayers wrong. He reached the final of the prestigious grass court Slam in 2022. And now, he is due for a showcase with Novak Djokovic in Brisbane.

Ahead of their upcoming team-up, Kyrgios told reporters: “Everyone thinks it’s a pleasure playing with him, it’s actually a pleasure playing with me let’s be real. But he’s… nah, look I think we wanted to play one time at least before either his career ends or mine finishes as well so to finally do it on my home soil where you think, I think for fans whenever you get a team-up like this it’s important that the fans get that because that’s what tennis is about.”

While the duo promises a punch, their path to doubles glory in Brisbane will invite resistance from the other pairs on show for sure. Since Djokovic is due for his singles attendance at the event as well, the Serb will have to tread carefully and retain his energy. Not just to cover both campaigns, but to stay solid for his 11th AO title quest in January 2025.