All 15,000 seats at the Rod Laver Arena were sold out in 58 minutes, with proceeds going to charity.

Djokovic, who was kicked out of Australia a year ago due to his vaccination status, received a warm welcome from the Australian public when he won the Adelaide warm-up tournament last week and so did even Friday at the Rod Laver Arena, where he won nine Grand Slam titles.

"Thank you very much, I feel a bit emotional right now to be honest," the former Serbian world number one told the crowd before the exhibition, after his entrance to the court was greeted with cheers and cheers. applause.

"I was really looking forward to getting back on this court, so thank you all for coming out tonight for a great cause," added the 35-year-old.

Djokovic has dominated the Australian Open since his first triumph in 2008, but he had his visa canceled 12 months ago and was expelled the day before the start of the 2022 edition.

Facing Australian Kyrgios, Djokovic wore a strapping for a left hamstring problem which prevented him from playing a training match against Russian Daniil Medvedev this week.

Novak Djokovic, facetious, has fun with a ball boy during his exhibition match against Nick Kyrgios in the Rod Laver Arena on January 13, 2013 in Melbourne © WILLIAM WEST / AFP

But he didn't seem to have any movement problems and said before the game he felt "fine".

Kyrgios also dismissed concerns over an ankle injury which has hampered his preparation.

They each won a shortened set before concluding the friendly with a tie-break which also featured wheelchair players David Wagner and Heath Davidson.

Djokovic and the whimsical Kyrgios -- the Australian public darling who received more applause than his opponent -- used to have an icy relationship.

But this has heated up considerably as Kyrgios was one of the few players to publicly support Djokovic in his unsuccessful fight against his January 2022 deportation proceedings.

The two players met in the Wimbledon final last year, which saw Djokovic prevail in four sets to claim his 21st Grand Slam title.

Novak Djokovic puts on a show during his exhibition match against Nick Kyrgios in the Rod Laver Arena on January 13, 2023 in Melbourne © WILLIAM WEST / AFP

In the first round of the Australian Open 2023, of which he is the big favorite, "Nole" will meet the Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena (75th in the world).

© 2023 AFP