Novak Djokovic confesses he follows Nick Kyrgios' lead after doubles match

Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic are not that unusual of a pairing in tennis. Kyrgios is the more outspoken player, but Djokovic also has not skirted controversy. He famously was anti-COVID vaccine. Was he right about that? You can make your own decisions.

Perhaps the biggest difference between the two players is that the Serb seems far more driven to succeed on the court. His life has revolved around the sport. Kyrgios seems OK with not playing, and not rehabbing quickly from injuries. He is fine with podcasting and commentating. That is fine. He is good at it.

Kyrgios is not done playing, though. He appears far more committed to playing many tournaments in 2025, possibly knowing that while his name carries some weight when making comments on matches, he is still young enough to make a run at a Grand Slam victory which would only help his draw as a commentator once he is permanently done playing the sport professionally.

Novak Djokovic makes stunning confession about Nick Kyrgios at the Brisbane International

To begin the season, both Djokovic and Kyrgios played in the Brisbane International in singles and the two decided to become doubles partners as well. While playing unseeded players Alexander Erler and Andreas Mies, the Serb and the Australian came through in three sets. Their talent was enough to win the match while their doubles play was not stunning.

This could be due, oddly, to Kyrgios having a lot more doubles experience (and successful experience) than Djokovic. The Australian actually won the 2022 Australian Open in doubles, while Djokovic, the 24-time major winner in singles, has never made it past the second round in doubles at any major tournament.

In the joint on-court interview after their doubles victory, Djokovic admitted he relies more on Kyrgios than the Aussie does the Serb. Djokovic also confessed that while he has been great in singles, he still is finding his way when playing with another person. This is the kind of player Djokovic is, though.

He said after the match, "I want to thank Nick for playing. He said the other day it should be a pleasure to play with him. And it is. It is a pleasure. I’m glad to share the court with him on his comeback. Yeah, I mean I haven’t played that many doubles matches in my life to be honest, particularly in the last five years. So whatever Nick was saying I was following actually."

Djokovic and Kyrgios's next match was set to be against top-seeds Nikola Metkic and Michael Venus. While anything can happen in doubles, experience usually plays a factor. At least, we got to see the Serb and Australian play a little bit of doubles. Maybe they will decide to play more in tournaments yet to come.

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