Novak Djokovic teases Nick Kyrgios about 'professional' comment during Brisbane doubles opener

Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios were off to a winning start at the Brisbane International. The duo, who are partnering for the doubles competition, were 6-4, 6-7(4), [10-8] victors over Alexander Erler and Andreas Mies.

The duo entertained the packed Pat Rafter Arena crowd with incredible shot making, but Kyrgios' signature underarm serve did not make an appearance throughout the three-set encounter.

When asked about his decision not to throw in the odd underarm serve at some point in the match during his on-court interview, Kyrgios jokingly said that he was trying to be "professional" about things.

The response drew an immediate retort from Novak Djokovic, who took a jibe a Nick Kyrgios, otherwise known to be a flamboyant character, saying he loved the idea of the Aussie trying to be "profesional". The back-and-forth between the doubles partners had the crowd in splits.

“Everyone in here is wanting me to hit underarm. I’m trying to be professional,” Nick Kyrgios said.

“The highlight of this interview so far, his sentence, ‘I’m trying to be professional.’ I love it. I love it,” Novak Djokovic responded.

Djokovic and Kyrgios got off to a flying start in their first-round encounter, taking the opening set with ease. Their opponents, however, mounted a strong comeback in the second set which went to a tiebreaker. Kyrgios and Djokovic loss the shootout but were able to make up for it by taking the 10-point winner-takes-all match tiebreaker 10-8.

The two face a big task ahead, with top seeds Nikola Mektic and Michael Venus awaiting them in the round-of-16. As the top seeds, the Serb-Aussie pair had received a bye in the opening round.

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Nick Kyrgios, Novak Djokovic set for first singles encounters of 2025 season

Novak Djokovic (R) and Nick Kyrgios in action during their doubles encounter at the 2025 Brisbane International. (Source: Getty)

Both Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios have also entered the singles draw at the Brisbane International. They are scheduled to play their first-round draws at the Pat Rafter Arena on Tuesday.

Djokovic, a 10-time Australian Open champion, usually does not play any warm-up tournaments in the lead-up to the season's first Grand Slam. He has, however, in a departure from his usual calendar entered the ATP 250 event. Djokovic faces local player Rinky Hijikate in his first match.

Kyrgios, meanwhile, also returns to competition after a prolonged injury layoff. He will test his mettle against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the opening round.