Nick Kyrgios made a triumphant return to professional tennis as the Australian, partnering 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic beat Andreas Mies and Alexander Erler in the opening round of men’s doubles at Brisbane International on Monday.
The wildcard Australian-Serbian pair of Kyrgios and Djokovic won 6-4, 6-7(4), [10-8] in an hour and 48 minutes at the Pat Rafter Arena.
Kyrgios had played only one singles tour match in the last two years due to knee, foot and wrist injuries.
Kyrgios said he did not want to take anything for granted in his comeback.
Djokovic and Kyrgios will face the top-seeded Croatian-Kiwi duo of Nikola Mektic and Michael Venus in the next round.
Djokovic and Kyrgios are also scheduled to play singles in Brisbane in preparation for the Australian Open. The 37-year-old Serbian, a 10-time champion in Melbourne, faces local wildcard Rinky Hijikata while former Wimbledon runner-up Kyrgios, who is using Protected Ranking, takes on big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round.