The ATP already has no doubts: from January 1, the professional men's Tennis circuit already has a serious candidate for point of the year. In Brisbane, under the Australian sun, the Novak Djokovic-Nick Kyrgios pair was opposed on this first day of the year to two doubles specialists, the Croatian Nikola Mektic and the New Zealander Michael Venus.
In the second game of the first set, the latter is serving and for a full minute, the four men exchange the ball at crazy speed along the lines, at the net, in the baseline sometimes like Harlem Globe Trotters when Kyrgios twice, returns the little yellow ball between his legs. The Croatian and the New Zealander are at the net but even Djokovic cannot overcome their wall despite repeated attacks.
The point ends when Mektic ends up delivering the final blow with a ball in the corridor which amuses his majesty Djoko himself. The crowd at the “Pat-Rafter Arena” in Brisbane is on its feet and in the comments, our Australian colleague also speaks of “probably already one of the most beautiful exchanges of the year”.
During this round of 16 of the Brisbane doubles tournament, the Mektic-Venus pair won 6-2, 3-6, 10-8 in a match as spectacular as the point in question. If Djokovic will have the opportunity to continue his journey in singles, against the French veteran Gaël Monfils on Thursday, it is however over for Nick Kyrgios, who lost on Tuesday to another Frenchman, the young service prodigy Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, author of 36 aces.
