Nick Kyrgios had a lighthearted take on being the send-off partner for Novak Djokovic at the time of the Serb's retirement. The duo had a doubles outing for the first time at this year's Brisbane International.
When asked about whether he would play doubles with Kyrgios again, Djokovic responded in the affirmative, claiming that he was all for it. The Serb announced that he would play at his home event in Belgrade later this year, and if the Australian was willing to make the trip, they could team up again.
"I do really wish that we play another time [in] doubles. Later on this year we have a tournament in Belgrade, I’m planning to play it. I don’t know if he’s planning to come, so maybe, yeah, maybe we should slam it there.” said Djokovic
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Reacting to this, a tennis fan made a joking comparison between the Serb's potential retirement and that of his two great rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The Swiss legend had his longtime Spanish rival alongside him during his last doubles match at the 2022 Laver Cup. Meanwhile, Nadal, whose last event was the 2024 Davis Cup, played alongside Carlos Alcaraz as both were part of the Spanish team.
The fan tried to imply that in comparison to the above-mentioned duos, the Kyrgios-Djokovic combination might not be as high-profile for the Serbian's future retirement. Kyrgios, however, took the comment in his stride, stating that playing doubles with him would be a great send-off for Djokovic.
"Low key goated duo to send off" said Kyrgios
Both Djokovic and Kyrgios are currently at the Miami Open. While the Australian has bowed out of the event in the second round, the Serbian has reached the third round.
Nick Kyrgios leads Novak Djokovic in their head-to-head rivalry
Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios have played each other thrice on the ATP Tour. As it stands, the Australian has a 2-1 lead over the Serb in the head-to-head rivalry. The first time they met was at the 2017 Mexican Open, which the Australian won 7-6 (9), 7-5.
The duo met for the second time a few weeks later, at the 2017 BNP Paribas Open, where the Serb was a three-time defending champion. However, in another great performance, the Australian caused an upset, winning 6-4, 7-6 (3).
The final time Djokovic and Kyrgios faced off was at the marquee final of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. Just like in Indian Wells in 2017, the Serb was a three-time defending champion here as well, while the Australian was playing his maiden Major final. Kyrgios started well, winning the first set, but Djokovic turned it around, winning the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3).
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