{"id":15930,"date":"2024-12-31T02:17:04","date_gmt":"2024-12-31T02:17:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=15930"},"modified":"2024-12-31T02:17:04","modified_gmt":"2024-12-31T02:17:04","slug":"astonishing-djokovic-act-in-kyrgios-doubles-pairing-as-professional-nick-cracks-up-legend-post-match","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=15930","title":{"rendered":"Astonishing Djokovic act in Kyrgios doubles pairing, as \u2018professional\u2019 Nick cracks up legend post-match"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Defending champion Grigor Dimitrov eased into round two of the Brisbane International with a hard-fought win over qualifier Yannick Hanfmann on Monday, but Holger Rune crashed to defeat.<\/p>\n<p><b><i>Watch every ball of Australia v India LIVE &amp; ad-break free during play in 4K on Kayo | New to Kayo?\u00a0Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<div class=\"e5mrwj-0 jpgUYc\"><iframe class=\"i-amphtml-fill-content\" title=\"Minutely\" src=\"https:\/\/snippet.tldw.me\/amp\/amp-launcher.html?publisher=204500&amp;placement=4280#amp=1\" name=\"amp_iframe1\" frameborder=\"0\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-top-navigation\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>Bulgaria\u2019s second seed Dimitrov has a great track record in the city, winning the title twice, as well as making the final in 2013.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ecpz18-0 fEGMZh\"><\/div>\n<p>His 7-6 (7\/5), 6-3 victory over Germany\u2019s Hanfmann was his 24th in Brisbane, more than any other player.<\/p>\n<div class=\"e5mrwj-0 jpgUYc\"><\/div>\n<p>Yet he has flown under the radar this year due to the presence of former world number one Novak Djokovic and the comeback of mercurial Australian Nick Kyrgios after an 18-month injury lay-off.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ecpz18-0 fEGMZh\"><\/div>\n<p>Djokovic and Kyrgios teamed up for an unlikely doubles appearance \u2013 having once been enemies but now firm buddies \u2013 and won their first round clash 6-4, 6-7 (4\/7), 10\/8 over Austria\u2019s Alexander Erler and German Andreas Mies.<\/p>\n<p>The two men rarely play doubles and got together for this tournament, although Djokovic hinted earlier Sunday they may pair up for next year\u2019s Grand Slams.<\/p>\n<p>They won the first set against the doubles specialists Erler and Mies with one break of Mies\u2019 serve, but lost a close second set before clinching the win with a match tiebreak.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ecpz18-0 fEGMZh\"><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"sc-11i7hbm-0 eUyOEq\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"i-amphtml-fill-content i-amphtml-replaced-content\" src=\"https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/2d7720ed68ddf7c25ea0014764263032\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 940px, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/2d7720ed68ddf7c25ea0014764263032?width=320 320w, https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/2d7720ed68ddf7c25ea0014764263032?width=640 640w, https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/2d7720ed68ddf7c25ea0014764263032?width=768 768w\" alt=\"Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic talk tactics.\" \/><figcaption class=\"sc-11i7hbm-1 gSnntl\">Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic talk tactics.Source: Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"sc-11i7hbm-0 eUyOEq\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"i-amphtml-fill-content i-amphtml-replaced-content\" src=\"https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/f216f98e341fb78b09daa308afa2df5a\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 940px, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/f216f98e341fb78b09daa308afa2df5a?width=320 320w, https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/f216f98e341fb78b09daa308afa2df5a?width=640 640w, https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/f216f98e341fb78b09daa308afa2df5a?width=768 768w\" alt=\"Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic celebrate a point.\" \/><figcaption class=\"sc-11i7hbm-1 gSnntl\">Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic celebrate a point.Source: Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"sc-11i7hbm-0 eUyOEq\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"i-amphtml-fill-content i-amphtml-replaced-content\" src=\"https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/d922588d081892c0c83abb5ed4053473\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 940px, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/d922588d081892c0c83abb5ed4053473?width=320 320w, https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/d922588d081892c0c83abb5ed4053473?width=640 640w, https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/d922588d081892c0c83abb5ed4053473?width=768 768w\" alt=\"Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic chest-bump after their victory.\" \/><figcaption class=\"sc-11i7hbm-1 gSnntl\">Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic chest-bump after their victory.Source: AFP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNick said the other day that it should be a pleasure to play with him and it is,\u201d a smiling Djokovic said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m glad to share the court with him on his comeback.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI haven\u2019t played that many doubles matches in my life so whatever Nick was saying, I was following.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Djokovic played an astonishing around-the-post winner, one of the rarest shots in tennis, during the match.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"i-amphtml-fill-content\" title=\"Twitter\" src=\"https:\/\/d-2362692597730368691.ampproject.net\/2410292120000\/frame.html\" name=\"{&quot;host&quot;:&quot;d-2362692597730368691.ampproject.net&quot;,&quot;bootstrap&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/3p.ampproject.net\/2410292120000\/vendor\/twitter.js&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;twitter&quot;,&quot;count&quot;:1,&quot;attributes&quot;:{&quot;tweetid&quot;:&quot;1873663586725212280&quot;,&quot;width&quot;:375,&quot;height&quot;:472,&quot;_context&quot;:{&quot;ampcontextVersion&quot;:&quot;2410292120000&quot;,&quot;ampcontextFilepath&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/3p.ampproject.net\/2410292120000\/ampcontext-v0.js&quot;,&quot;sourceUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/tennis\/astonishing-djokovic-act-in-kyrgios-doubles-pairing-as-nick-cracks-up-legend-postmatch\/news-story\/104fc175ac822f9328e4e4423171a34d&quot;,&quot;referrer&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/c.newsnow.co.uk\/&quot;,&quot;canonicalUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/tennis\/astonishing-djokovic-act-in-kyrgios-doubles-pairing-as-nick-cracks-up-legend-postmatch\/news-story\/104fc175ac822f9328e4e4423171a34d&quot;,&quot;pageViewId&quot;:&quot;9399&quot;,&quot;location&quot;:{&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/tennis\/astonishing-djokovic-act-in-kyrgios-doubles-pairing-as-nick-cracks-up-legend-postmatch\/news-story\/104fc175ac822f9328e4e4423171a34d&quot;},&quot;startTime&quot;:1735611060127,&quot;tagName&quot;:&quot;AMP-TWITTER&quot;,&quot;mode&quot;:{&quot;localDev&quot;:false,&quot;development&quot;:false,&quot;esm&quot;:false,&quot;test&quot;:false,&quot;rtvVersion&quot;:&quot;012410292120000&quot;},&quot;canary&quot;:false,&quot;hidden&quot;:false,&quot;initialLayoutRect&quot;:{&quot;left&quot;:470,&quot;top&quot;:4308,&quot;width&quot;:940,&quot;height&quot;:1183},&quot;domFingerprint&quot;:&quot;2958417141&quot;,&quot;experimentToggles&quot;:{&quot;canary&quot;:false,&quot;a4aProfilingRate&quot;:false,&quot;doubleclickSraExp&quot;:false,&quot;doubleclickSraReportExcludedBlock&quot;:true,&quot;flexAdSlots&quot;:false,&quot;flexible-bitrate&quot;:true,&quot;ios-fixed-no-transfer&quot;:false,&quot;story-ad-placements&quot;:false,&quot;story-disable-animations-first-page&quot;:true,&quot;story-load-inactive-outside-viewport&quot;:true,&quot;amp-sticky-ad-to-amp-ad-v4&quot;:false,&quot;story-video-cache-apply-audio&quot;:false,&quot;amp-story-subscriptions&quot;:true,&quot;interaction-to-next-paint&quot;:true,&quot;amp-story-first-page-max-bitrate&quot;:true,&quot;story-load-first-page-only&quot;:true,&quot;story-ad-page-outlink&quot;:false,&quot;amp-geo-ssr&quot;:true,&quot;story-remote-localization&quot;:true,&quot;attribution-reporting&quot;:false},&quot;sentinel&quot;:&quot;0-13652259152925438549&quot;},&quot;type&quot;:&quot;twitter&quot;}}\" width=\"375\" height=\"472\" scrolling=\"no\" sandbox=\"allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-forms allow-modals allow-pointer-lock allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-amp-3p-sentinel=\"0-13652259152925438549\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Kyrgios said he was just pleased to be playing again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis injury\u2019s been brutal for me so I was just glad to get back on court,\u201d he said, while also cracking up Djokovic with another interview offering.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"i-amphtml-fill-content\" title=\"Twitter\" src=\"https:\/\/d-2362692597730368691.ampproject.net\/2410292120000\/frame.html\" name=\"{&quot;host&quot;:&quot;d-2362692597730368691.ampproject.net&quot;,&quot;bootstrap&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/3p.ampproject.net\/2410292120000\/vendor\/twitter.js&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;twitter&quot;,&quot;count&quot;:2,&quot;attributes&quot;:{&quot;tweetid&quot;:&quot;1873680729248284961&quot;,&quot;width&quot;:375,&quot;height&quot;:472,&quot;_context&quot;:{&quot;ampcontextVersion&quot;:&quot;2410292120000&quot;,&quot;ampcontextFilepath&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/3p.ampproject.net\/2410292120000\/ampcontext-v0.js&quot;,&quot;sourceUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/tennis\/astonishing-djokovic-act-in-kyrgios-doubles-pairing-as-nick-cracks-up-legend-postmatch\/news-story\/104fc175ac822f9328e4e4423171a34d&quot;,&quot;referrer&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/c.newsnow.co.uk\/&quot;,&quot;canonicalUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/tennis\/astonishing-djokovic-act-in-kyrgios-doubles-pairing-as-nick-cracks-up-legend-postmatch\/news-story\/104fc175ac822f9328e4e4423171a34d&quot;,&quot;pageViewId&quot;:&quot;9399&quot;,&quot;location&quot;:{&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/tennis\/astonishing-djokovic-act-in-kyrgios-doubles-pairing-as-nick-cracks-up-legend-postmatch\/news-story\/104fc175ac822f9328e4e4423171a34d&quot;},&quot;startTime&quot;:1735611062327,&quot;tagName&quot;:&quot;AMP-TWITTER&quot;,&quot;mode&quot;:{&quot;localDev&quot;:false,&quot;development&quot;:false,&quot;esm&quot;:false,&quot;test&quot;:false,&quot;rtvVersion&quot;:&quot;012410292120000&quot;},&quot;canary&quot;:false,&quot;hidden&quot;:false,&quot;initialLayoutRect&quot;:{&quot;left&quot;:470,&quot;top&quot;:5635,&quot;width&quot;:940,&quot;height&quot;:1183},&quot;domFingerprint&quot;:&quot;859994143&quot;,&quot;experimentToggles&quot;:{&quot;canary&quot;:false,&quot;a4aProfilingRate&quot;:false,&quot;doubleclickSraExp&quot;:false,&quot;doubleclickSraReportExcludedBlock&quot;:true,&quot;flexAdSlots&quot;:false,&quot;flexible-bitrate&quot;:true,&quot;ios-fixed-no-transfer&quot;:false,&quot;story-ad-placements&quot;:false,&quot;story-disable-animations-first-page&quot;:true,&quot;story-load-inactive-outside-viewport&quot;:true,&quot;amp-sticky-ad-to-amp-ad-v4&quot;:false,&quot;story-video-cache-apply-audio&quot;:false,&quot;amp-story-subscriptions&quot;:true,&quot;interaction-to-next-paint&quot;:true,&quot;amp-story-first-page-max-bitrate&quot;:true,&quot;story-load-first-page-only&quot;:true,&quot;story-ad-page-outlink&quot;:false,&quot;amp-geo-ssr&quot;:true,&quot;story-remote-localization&quot;:true,&quot;attribution-reporting&quot;:false},&quot;sentinel&quot;:&quot;0-28680836242658640803&quot;},&quot;type&quot;:&quot;twitter&quot;}}\" width=\"375\" height=\"472\" scrolling=\"no\" sandbox=\"allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-forms allow-modals allow-pointer-lock allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-amp-3p-sentinel=\"0-28680836242658640803\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Dimitrov first played Brisbane in 2012, when he finished runner-up to Andy Murray.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ecpz18-0 fEGMZh\"><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI came here 15 years ago and since day one I\u2019ve had that love affair (with Brisbane), so I want to keep on going, keep on testing myself and delivering as long as I can,\u201d Dimitrov said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHopefully I can continue and go all the way again. I enjoy the weather \u2014 it\u2019s hot and humid and I like that,\u201d added the world number 10.<\/p>\n<p>Czech Jiri Lehecka caused a major upset with a 7-5, 6-3 win over third-seeded Norwegian Rune.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ecpz18-0 fEGMZh\"><\/div>\n<p>\u201cTo win and begin the season like that is always a good start,\u201d the 23-year-old Lehecka said. \u201cThe conditions suit me well here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"sc-11i7hbm-0 eUyOEq\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"i-amphtml-fill-content i-amphtml-replaced-content\" src=\"https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/5202f0f9743e73574331e35bd26a4659\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 940px, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/5202f0f9743e73574331e35bd26a4659?width=320 320w, https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/5202f0f9743e73574331e35bd26a4659?width=640 640w, https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/5202f0f9743e73574331e35bd26a4659?width=768 768w\" alt=\"Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios celebrate a point.\" \/><figcaption class=\"sc-11i7hbm-1 gSnntl\">Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios celebrate a point.Source: Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Earlier, eighth-seeded Australian Jordan Thompson came from a set down to overcome former world number six Italian Matteo Berrettini 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.<\/p>\n<p>Berrettini is now 34th in the world, only eight places behind Thompson and that closeness showed in a match that last two hours, 15 minutes on Pat Rafter Arena.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI mean today I think I was eighth seed and playing Berrettini,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cI don\u2019t know how he\u2019s not seeded. But I feel like everybody could be a seed. This is one of the strongest tournaments of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"sc-11i7hbm-0 eUyOEq\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"i-amphtml-fill-content i-amphtml-replaced-content\" src=\"https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/fcf1eaf27b9ceb99e523956965af834a\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 940px, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/fcf1eaf27b9ceb99e523956965af834a?width=320 320w, https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/fcf1eaf27b9ceb99e523956965af834a?width=640 640w, https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/fcf1eaf27b9ceb99e523956965af834a?width=768 768w\" alt=\"Jordan Thompson celebrates victory over Matteo Berrettini.\" \/><figcaption class=\"sc-11i7hbm-1 gSnntl\">Jordan Thompson celebrates victory over Matteo Berrettini.Source: Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In other matches, French qualifier Benjamin Bonzi upset sixth seeded Chilean Alejandro Tabilo 6-7 (8\/10), 7-6 (7\/5), 6-4, while American Alex Michelsen beat Australia\u2019s Christopher O\u2019Connell 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (12\/10).<\/p>\n<p>Chile\u2019s Nicolas Jarry downed Mariano Navone of Argentina and Japanese qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka beat Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech, both in straight sets.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-15rcxg2-0 kJtnfi\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"i-amphtml-fill-content amp-hidden\" src=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/pmd\/images\/2024\/12\/29\/896166_640x360_large_20241229080653.jpg\" \/><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"i-amphtml-fill-content\" title=\"IMA video\" src=\"https:\/\/d-2362692597730368691.ampproject.net\/2410292120000\/frame.html\" name=\"{&quot;host&quot;:&quot;d-2362692597730368691.ampproject.net&quot;,&quot;bootstrap&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/3p.ampproject.net\/2410292120000\/vendor\/ima-video.js&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;ima-video&quot;,&quot;count&quot;:2,&quot;attributes&quot;:{&quot;tag&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/pubads.g.doubleclick.net\/gampad\/ads?ad_rule=1&amp;cmsid=2492325&amp;correlator=1735592865915&amp;cust_params=pagetype%3DAMPArticle&amp;description_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxsports.com.au%2Ftennis%2Fastonishing-djokovic-act-in-kyrgios-doubles-pairing-as-nick-cracks-up-legend-postmatch%2Fnews-story%2F104fc175ac822f9328e4e4423171a34d&amp;env=vp&amp;gdfp_req=1&amp;impl=s&amp;iu=%2F21780812979%2Ffoxsports%2Fstory-amp%2Ftennis%2Fstory&amp;output=xml_vast3&amp;sz=640x480&amp;unviewed_position_start=1&amp;vid=896157&quot;,&quot;poster&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/pmd\/images\/2024\/12\/29\/896166_640x360_large_20241229080653.jpg&quot;,&quot;sourceChildren&quot;:&quot;[[\\&quot;SOURCE\\&quot;,{\\&quot;src\\&quot;:\\&quot;https:\/\/foxsportspmd-a.akamaihd.net\/free\/geoblock\/2024\/12\/29\/DVU_291224_TEN_NICK_DJOKO_202412290747\/DVU_291224_TEN_NICK_DJOKO_202412290747_2628.mp4\\&quot;,\\&quot;type\\&quot;:\\&quot;video\/mp4\\&quot;}]]&quot;,&quot;width&quot;:1.77,&quot;height&quot;:1,&quot;_context&quot;:{&quot;ampcontextVersion&quot;:&quot;2410292120000&quot;,&quot;ampcontextFilepath&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/3p.ampproject.net\/2410292120000\/ampcontext-v0.js&quot;,&quot;sourceUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/tennis\/astonishing-djokovic-act-in-kyrgios-doubles-pairing-as-nick-cracks-up-legend-postmatch\/news-story\/104fc175ac822f9328e4e4423171a34d&quot;,&quot;referrer&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/c.newsnow.co.uk\/&quot;,&quot;canonicalUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/tennis\/astonishing-djokovic-act-in-kyrgios-doubles-pairing-as-nick-cracks-up-legend-postmatch\/news-story\/104fc175ac822f9328e4e4423171a34d&quot;,&quot;pageViewId&quot;:&quot;9399&quot;,&quot;location&quot;:{&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/tennis\/astonishing-djokovic-act-in-kyrgios-doubles-pairing-as-nick-cracks-up-legend-postmatch\/news-story\/104fc175ac822f9328e4e4423171a34d&quot;},&quot;startTime&quot;:1735611366198,&quot;tagName&quot;:&quot;AMP-IMA-VIDEO&quot;,&quot;mode&quot;:{&quot;localDev&quot;:false,&quot;development&quot;:false,&quot;esm&quot;:false,&quot;test&quot;:false,&quot;rtvVersion&quot;:&quot;012410292120000&quot;},&quot;canary&quot;:false,&quot;hidden&quot;:false,&quot;initialLayoutRect&quot;:{&quot;left&quot;:24,&quot;top&quot;:8283,&quot;width&quot;:747,&quot;height&quot;:422},&quot;domFingerprint&quot;:&quot;4070416156&quot;,&quot;experimentToggles&quot;:{&quot;canary&quot;:false,&quot;a4aProfilingRate&quot;:false,&quot;doubleclickSraExp&quot;:false,&quot;doubleclickSraReportExcludedBlock&quot;:true,&quot;flexAdSlots&quot;:false,&quot;flexible-bitrate&quot;:true,&quot;ios-fixed-no-transfer&quot;:false,&quot;story-ad-placements&quot;:false,&quot;story-disable-animations-first-page&quot;:true,&quot;story-load-inactive-outside-viewport&quot;:true,&quot;amp-sticky-ad-to-amp-ad-v4&quot;:false,&quot;story-video-cache-apply-audio&quot;:false,&quot;amp-story-subscriptions&quot;:true,&quot;interaction-to-next-paint&quot;:true,&quot;amp-story-first-page-max-bitrate&quot;:true,&quot;story-load-first-page-only&quot;:true,&quot;story-ad-page-outlink&quot;:false,&quot;amp-geo-ssr&quot;:true,&quot;story-remote-localization&quot;:true,&quot;attribution-reporting&quot;:false},&quot;sentinel&quot;:&quot;0-459287509900051308&quot;},&quot;type&quot;:&quot;ima-video&quot;}}\" width=\"1.77\" height=\"1\" scrolling=\"no\" sandbox=\"allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-forms allow-modals allow-pointer-lock allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-amp-3p-sentinel=\"0-459287509900051308\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-15rcxg2-2 hnVLJB\">Nick: &#8220;It&#8217;s a pleasure playing with me&#8221; | 01:20<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In the women\u2019s draw, Russia\u2019s Polina Kudermetova defeated China\u2019s Wang Yafan 6-1, 6-3.<\/p>\n<p>However, the Russian\u2019s older sister Veronika was knocked out by American Payton Stearns 6-2, 6-3.<\/p>\n<p>Ukraine\u2019s Anhelina Kalinina progressed when her Chinese opponent Wang Xinyu retired hurt with Kalinina leading 6-4, 2-0.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ecpz18-0 fEGMZh\"><\/div>\n<p>In an all-Australian battle, wildcard Kimberly Birrell outlasted training partner Priscilla Hon 3-6, 7-5, 6-2.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Defending champion Grigor Dimitrov eased into round two of the Brisbane International with a hard-fought win over qualifier Yannick Hanfmann on Monday, but Holger Rune crashed to&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15931,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tennis"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Astonishing Djokovic act in Kyrgios doubles pairing, as \u2018professional\u2019 Nick cracks up legend post-match - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=15930\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Astonishing Djokovic act in Kyrgios doubles pairing, as \u2018professional\u2019 Nick cracks up legend post-match - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Defending champion Grigor Dimitrov eased into round two of the Brisbane International with a hard-fought win over qualifier Yannick Hanfmann on Monday, but Holger Rune crashed to...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=15930\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-12-31T02:17:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2-267.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"432\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=15930\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=15930\",\"name\":\"Astonishing Djokovic act in Kyrgios doubles pairing, as \u2018professional\u2019 Nick cracks up legend post-match - 24\/7 News America\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=15930#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=15930#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2-267.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-31T02:17:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-12-31T02:17:04+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=15930#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=15930\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=15930#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2-267.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2-267.jpg\",\"width\":768,\"height\":432},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=15930#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Astonishing Djokovic act in Kyrgios doubles pairing, as \u2018professional\u2019 Nick cracks up legend post-match\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"24\/7 News America\",\"description\":\"Breaking Stories, Real Insights&quot;\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914\",\"name\":\"Admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Admin\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?author=2\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Astonishing Djokovic act in Kyrgios doubles pairing, as \u2018professional\u2019 Nick cracks up legend post-match - 24\/7 News America","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=15930","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Astonishing Djokovic act in Kyrgios doubles pairing, as \u2018professional\u2019 Nick cracks up legend post-match - 24\/7 News America","og_description":"Defending champion Grigor Dimitrov eased into round two of the Brisbane International with a hard-fought win over qualifier Yannick Hanfmann on Monday, but Holger Rune crashed to...","og_url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=15930","og_site_name":"24\/7 News America","article_published_time":"2024-12-31T02:17:04+00:00","og_image":[{"width":768,"height":432,"url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2-267.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=15930","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=15930","name":"Astonishing Djokovic act in Kyrgios doubles pairing, as \u2018professional\u2019 Nick cracks up legend post-match - 24\/7 News America","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=15930#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=15930#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2-267.jpg","datePublished":"2024-12-31T02:17:04+00:00","dateModified":"2024-12-31T02:17:04+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=15930#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=15930"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=15930#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2-267.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2-267.jpg","width":768,"height":432},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=15930#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Astonishing Djokovic act in Kyrgios doubles pairing, as \u2018professional\u2019 Nick cracks up legend post-match"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/","name":"24\/7 News America","description":"Breaking Stories, Real Insights&quot;","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914","name":"Admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Admin"},"url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?author=2"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15930"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15930\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15932,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15930\/revisions\/15932"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}