Nick Kyrgios says he is 'really excited' to make his long-awaited return to tennis at the Brisbane Open.

The Australian has been out of action for 18 months after undergoing wrist surgery in September 2023, with his last match being in June of that year at the Stuttgart Open.

The former Wimbledon finalist will return to action against Giovanni Perricard in the singles event in Brisbane, where he triumphed in 2018.

"I'm obviously a little bit - I don't know if I'd call it nervous," he said. "When I was hitting in the stadium, it was surreal to be back out there. I took it all in. I'm really excited to just go out there and play, just play tennis."

"Everyone thinks it's a pleasure playing with him, it's actually a pleasure playing with me" @NickKyrgios @DjokerNole #BrisbaneTennis https://t.co/brlLB7MG0P pic.twitter.com/xYA7GQOs5c
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) December 28, 2024

Along with his singles return, Kyrgios is also teaming up with former world number one Novak Djokovic in the doubles tournament.

The pair will face Alexander Erler and Andreas Mies in the round of 32, and it is an experience he is understandably relishing.

"It's going to be a lot of fun," Kyrgios added. "[The] kid from Canberra gets to play with the greatest of all time in his hometown in front of the fans.

"It's something that I'm able to tell people when it's all said and done that I played doubles with him. It's pretty special.”