Nick Kyrgios made a winning return to tennis as he partnered with Novak Djokovic in a blockbuster doubles pairing as the Brisbane International.

Kyrgios, who had not played for 18 months, and Djokovic beat Alexander Erler and Andreas Mies 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 10-8 to the delight of the crowd in Brisbane.

The fans were treated to some spectacular moments including an around-the-net winner from Djokovic and a tweener from Kyrgios.

Djokovic beat Kyrgios in the 2022 Wimbledon final and the pair have developed a close friendship since then.

"That was awesome! An amazing atmosphere. Great to be back," said Djokovic.

"I want to thank Nick for playing. He said the other day 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 many doubles matches, so whatever Nick was saying I was following."

Kyrgios added: "I was surprised he doubted himself a little bit in some moments and I was like 'brother, you're the greatest of all time, go for it, do what you have to do'.

"I was looking around at all the fans and this beautiful stadium. This injury has been brutal for me, so I wasn't taking this for granted. I don't know how many Aussie summers I've got left.

"We promised we were going to do this one time before he goes or I go."

Kyrgios will make his first singles appearance since June 2023 on Tuesday, live on Sky Sports Tennis, when he plays France's Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, while Djokovic will face Australia's Rinky Hijikata.

Djokovic and Kyrgios will return to men's doubles action on Wednesday against top seeds Nikola Mektic and Michael Venus.

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