Djokovic awaits Kyrgios clash at Brisbane International 2025

Before entering the 2025 Australian Open, Novak Djokovic set a goal of winning the 2025 Brisbane International and he could face Nick Kyrgios in the semi-finals.

The ATP 250 Brisbane International 2025 will kick off on December 29. This is a tournament for players to regain their competitive spirit and look forward to the Australian Open 2025 taking place in Australia from January 12 to January 26.

World No. 7 Novak Djokovic is the top seed in the tournament. The Serbian will face Rinky Hijikata in the first round and could face Gael Monfils in the second round.

In the quarterfinals, Nole could face host country’s 7th seed Alexei Popyrin. If he advances to the semi-finals, Djokovic’s two biggest opponents could be Frances Tiafoe or Nick Kyrgios.

In the unlikely event of reaching the final, Djokovic could face second seed and reigning tournament champion Grigor Dimitrov.

Returning from injury, Nick Kyrgios hopes to go far at the 2025 Brisbane International. His opponent in the opening match is Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. If he gets past the first round, Kyrgios could meet Frances Tiafoe in the second round.

Other notable stars at this year’s Brisbane International include Holger Rune, Jiri Lehecka, David Goffin, Aleksandar Vukic.

The wild card duo produced several moments of spectacular shotmaking en route to a 6-4, 6-7(4), 10-8 win against Alexander Erler and Andreas Mies. The highlight of a high-quality encounter inside Pat Rafter Arena was arguably a crafty around-the-net backhand winner from Djokovic in the 10th game of the match, a moment which delighted his first-time partner Kyrgios and had the Brisbane crowd on its feet.

Perhaps buoyed by the uptick in atmosphere, Kyrgios followed up with a stunning lob winner to bring up a set point on return at 5-4, 30/40. He then whipped a forehand pass onto the very edge of the tramline to seal the first set, before he and Djokovic held their nerve in a Match Tie-break for a one-hour, 48-minute win that they celebrated with a jumping chest bump.

“The around the net was a great set up by Mies, who played a really nice angled short volley, so I had an opening, and I went for it,” said Djokovic, when asked to compare his winner with a tweener that Kyrgios pulled off in the second set. “It was 5-4 to us but 30/0 [to them], and we won that point and the energy of the crowd got us going. Then we won that game and the first set. Nick’s tweener is definitely tougher to play under the circumstances. We tried to get the crowd on our side and get that energy and just use it for some good tennis.”

Kyrgios also weighed in on his partner’s moment of magic: “That’s just an iconic Novak moment. The way the guy moves around the court, I’ve never moved like that in my life. I was just loving it. The tweener is I guess more of an iconic shot that the kids love. The fans in here wanted me to underarm serve, but I was trying to be professional! I don’t know which Nick Kyrgios they want. Do you want tweeners, or do you want me to focus and get a win? I tried to find that balance tonight as much as I could.”

Competing in his first tour-level match for 18 months due to injury, Kyrgios continued to produce sublime moments of skill that served as an immediate reminder of the natural ability that has helped him earn seven tour-level singles titles and reach a career-high No. 13 in the PIF ATP Rankings. The 29-year-old reached a major singles final in 2022, when he fell to his current doubles partner Djokovic in the Wimbledon championship match. He is also a former Grand Slam doubles champion, having won the 2022 Australian Open alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis.

“That was awesome. Thank you, guys, for coming out tonight,” said Djokovic. “A packed house and an amazing atmosphere. Great to be back. I last played here four or five years ago [at the 2020 ATP Cup]. Australia always has an amazing crowd, an amazing culture for tennis, so any city that you come to has a packed stadium.

“I want to thank Nick for playing. He said the other day that it should be a pleasure to play with him, and it is. I’m glad to share the court with him on his comeback. I haven’t played that many doubles matches in my life, to be honest, particularly in the past five years, so whatever Nick was saying, I was following, actually.”