Nick Kyrgios has made a triumphant return to tennis with an electrifying first-round doubles victory against Novak Djokovic at the Brisbane International, and now the duo can't stop saying “Idemo.”
The former Wimbledon final foes and debuting pair lit up the Pat Rafter Arena on Monday night with a stunning 6-4, 6-7, 10-8 victory over Austria's Alexander Erler and Germany's Andreas Mies.
Kyrgios was playing his first tour match since June 2023 and was making just his second competitive start in nearly two and a half years following career-saving wrist and knee surgeries.
But in a 107-minute cameo, the former world No. 13 showed he had lost neither his incredible serve power nor his outrageous shot-making talent as he and Djokovic put on a proverbial tennis clinic for fans.
For decades, the Serbian's important supporters have chanted 'Idemo Nole' to motivate and inspire him on the pitch.
'Idemo' simply means 'let's go' in Serbian, and 'Nole' is a popular nickname for Djokovic.
Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios teamed up to win doubles at the Brisbane International
The super Serbian said he hadn't played much in doubles before, so let Kyrgios lead the way
After the match, Djokovic used the word Serbian in an Instagram message to the Australian.
'Good problem. Good start. Idemooo', he published.
Kyrgios replied: 'IDEMO NOLE'.
With Kyrgios losing just four points in his six service games, the superstar wildcards proved almost impossible to break and captured the first set in spectacular fashion.
Djokovic took the backhand and showed why with an exquisite shot between the net post and the referee's chair.
He followed up with an unplayable backhand return before increasing set point with a sumptuous topspin lob.
Not to be outdone, Kyrgios, the showman, launched a curving forehand past Mies to seal the set in the most elegant of ways.
Kyrgios had promised to add some fun to Djokovic's usually methodical game and, true to his word, had the super Serbian dancing with joy after conjuring up a trademark 'tweener' winner at the end of the second set.
The Australian and his Serbian doubles partner said “Idemo” – which in Serbian means “let's go” – to each other after their doubles victory.
Kyrgios and Djokovic held a tennis clinic for delighted fans in Brisbane on Monday night.
However, despite their dominance, the odd pair failed to get a break in the second set and then had to survive a tiebreaker in the third to secure the victory.
“That was amazing,” Djokovic said.
'Full house, incredible. Great to be back.
'I want to thank Nick for playing. He said the other day that it should be a pleasure to play with him. It is a pleasure and I am glad to share the court with him on his return.
“To be honest, I haven't played that many doubles matches in my life, especially in the last five years, so whatever Nick said, I followed it.
“Nick, it's great to have you back on the court in a competitive environment.”
Kyrgios played down the praise and insisted he had not been Djokovic's captain at all.
“I was actually surprised that he doubted himself a little bit at times,” he said.
'I was like, 'Bro, you're the greatest ever; Like, go for it.'”
In just his second tour match in almost two and a half years, Kyrgios looked impressive as he teamed up with the 'Joker'.
The enigmatic Kyrgios said he savored every minute on the court with the so-called GOAT of tennis.
“I was looking at all the fans, like this beautiful stadium,” he said.
'My comeback, you know, this injury has been brutal for me, so I wasn't taking any of this for granted.
“I don't know how many Australian summers I have left so I was just looking around and loving the energy and I was really happy to be back here.
“We promised we were going to do this one more time before he or I left, so I'm glad we're still alive.”
Kyrgios' impressive performance bodes well for his return to the Grand Slam singles at next month's Australian Open.
The 29-year-old will continue preparing for Melbourne Park in singles and doubles in Brisbane.
He will face Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in his long-awaited singles return on Tuesday, before Kyrgios and Djokovic do it again on Wednesday against doubles top seeds Michael Venus and Nikola Mektic.