Australian Open: Kokkinakis and Kyrgios speak after win
Nick Kyrgios has been accused of dropping his doubles partner into it as he opened up on his Australian Open memories with Thanasi Kokkinakis. The pair stormed to the 2022 title after defeating Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell 7-5, 6-4 in an all-Australian final, and now player-turned-pundit Kyrgios has shone a light on what happened off the court during their road to victory.
While out of action during his rehabilitation from injury, Kyrgios has been working as a pundit during the ATP Finals and discussed how his image held him back in Melbourne. The 28-year-old has never been shy about enjoying the party scene, but insisted that it was his partner who instead sampled the local attractions during their run.
“He (Kokkinakis) was having a good time,” Kyrgios joked to the Tennis Channel. “I was doing ice baths in the morning, getting up at 7 a.m. doing, like, chipped returns in doubles and I’m like, ‘What am I doing here?’
“I was the only person at Melbourne Park practising and he was just rolling in from a night out. People would think it would be the reverse. People would be like, ‘Kyrgios is the one that’s going out.'”
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Kokkinakis then appeared to confirm his good friend’s retelling of their story last year, responding on X (formerly known as Twitter) by writing: “Mans [sic] doin’ me dirty here.”
Kyrgios also explained how the pair unexpectedly came together to compete in doubles. He didn’t believe he would be successful alongside Kokkinaskis as their style of play and personalities were not thought to lend to a fruitful partnership, but they defeated then-No 1 seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic in the second round before winning against Ebden and Purcell in the final.
“I think we won one match there prior in, like, five years,” Kyrgios added. “We had the worst concentration, we couldn’t play together, it was just a train wreck. He sent me a Whatsapp, said: ‘Do you want to play?’ and I was like: ‘Yeah, whatever, let’s play,’ and then we ended up winning the title.
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“It was one of the most out-of-the-blue things ever, and to do it with him, I wouldn’t have wanted to do it with anyone else.”
Kyrgios was forced out of all four 2023 Grand Slams and has only played one match this year due to knee and wrist injuries that have left him sidelined, though he is gearing up for a comeback next year.
“I’m doing everything I am to get back out there,” he previously said, adding he’s “so hungry” to return to court. “Every day, doing the rehab, doing the gym work.”
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