Nick Kyrgios's Brisbane International matches a joy, but playing in pain is no way to be

It was impossible to know how much pain Nick Kyrgios was in.

During his 6-2, 3-6, 10-8 doubles defeat to Nikola Mektić and Michael Venus alongside Novak Djokovic, the 29-year-old was regularly seen flexing his wrist. His elbow.

On New Year's Eve, Kyrgios said he was dealing with "constant pain in that wrist" that required surgery.

He added that it "felt like I had been hit by a bus" after playing a little over an hour of doubles the day prior.

How he must have felt playing around 24 hours after he was subject to the awesome power of Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard over two brutal hours is anyone's guess.

"I think tomorrow it's going to be a bit of a rough day for my wrist, to be honest," Kyrgios said on New Year's Eve.

"It's very sore at the moment."

Nick Kyrgios was clearly in pain at times during his second round doubles contest. (Getty Images: Chris Hyde)

But he added that the adrenaline of a capacity crowd at Pat Rafter Arena was what helped him through in his singles defeat and was surely hoping that alone would get him through as the calendar ticked over into 2025.

Instead, he and Novak coughed up two breaks in the first set and were comfortably, routinely behind, 6-2.

Even with an extraordinary rally, featuring a reverse and forward tweener in consecutive strokes from Kyrgios and had Mektić in stitches on the opposite side of the net was not enough to drive a sustained party atmosphere on Pat Rafter Arena.

Nick Kyrgios's twin tweeners proved he is capable of magic. (Getty Images: Chris Hyde)

The doubles partnership that everyone had been talking about was drifting towards its inevitable end.

Djokovic was getting restless, frustrated that his baseline returns were being picked off so effortlessly at the net by Mektić and Venus.

This doesn't happen in singles, he seemed to be intimating, annoyed that his metronomic baseline efforts were being cut in half.

Nick, meanwhile, looked somewhat understandably lacking in drive.

Early in the second set, it seemed as though Kyrgios was perhaps content to go through the motions and get on a plane to Canberra to see his dog and prepare his ailing body for the Australian Open.

There were no histrionics, neither was there indifference.

For one point he threw his racquet up half-heartedly try and stop a ball that bounced well over his head, never a hope to return it, just doing it for the sake of doing something.

I'm not sure that's going to help, Novak. (Getty Images: Chris Hyde)

The partnership, like the crowd, was somewhat misfiring — desperate to rekindle the energy that made Monday's first round match such appointment viewing.

It only takes a spark though, for Nick to ignite.

Whether high theatre or panto parody, Nick and Novak's doubles debut a delight Photo shows Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios chest bump Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic's doubles debut at the Brisbane International felt like a mix between an exhibition and a final. In the end, it didn't matter … it was just tremendously entertaining.

A thunderous 203kph ace down the T would do it.

A looping return that he mockingly fanned as it drifted out wide of the tram lines helped too.

Then a return that sailed long saw Kyrgios roar in joy long before it landed out and suddenly the somewhat lethargic afternoon crowd — it was New Year's Day, in their defence — was roaring its approval and feeding Kyrgios the adrenaline shot he needed.

A break of serve followed — Novak and Nick's first of the match — and that was enough to win the second 6-3.

Now Novak's frustrations were being calmed by Nick's relaxed, laconic smile and words of support, eventually the 24-time grand slam winner was grinning just as his partner was.

By the time the match tie break came about, the crowd was in and Kyrgios was on.

A lob winner prompted an astonishing jig of joy from Kyrgios, that incredibly Djokovic joined in with too.

It seemed set that this pair would advance again, progressing to the quarterfinals and continue their extraordinary on-court partnership.

Novak and Nick enjoyed a fun partnership. (Getty Images: Chris Hyde)

Alas, Mektić is not a 30-time ATP doubles title winner and ranked sixth in the world for no reason, and Venus's 24 titles don't count for nothing either.

Despite falling behind in the 10-point match tie break that substitutes for a third set in doubles matches, the number one seeds fought back to win a thrilling victory.

It's a defeat that ends Kyrgios's involvement in this tournament, with only the Australian Open on his immediate horizon.

"I think I was, like, really excited for the Aus Open … obviously I'm super excited," Kyrgios said following his singles defeat.

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"If I'm able to play, I'm able to play. But the reality kind of set into me [during that match].

"That's a best-of-three match. With my wrist … not only is a grand slam mentally really draining, like, you're there for two-and-a-half, three weeks, it's physically a grind.'

"It's one of the hardest thing to do in any sport is win a grand slam in men's tennis.

"I think I almost need a miracle, and I need the stars to align for my wrist to hold up in a grand slam for sure.

"That's kind of the reality setting in.

"But look, I'm just so happy to be part of the Australian summer again."

Fans who have enjoyed his return this week will be hoping it won't be the last.

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