By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday January 29, 2022
Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis became the first All-Aussie men's doubles tandem to claim the Australian Open title since 1997 on Saturday night in Melbourne, the “Special Ks” topping Max Purcell and Matthew Ebden 7-5, 6-4 for their first Grand Slam title.
Kyrgios and Kokkinakis captivated the home crowds throughout this Aussie fortnight, but saved their most special theatrics for Saturday night as they won in just the 15th men’s doubles final contested by four players from the same nation in Open Era history – Kokkinakis and Kyrgios are the first all-Aussie men’s doubles team to triumph at a Grand Slam since 2000.
Kyrgios said the victory ranks higher than any of his previous accomplishments on a tennis court. It was a true bucket list moment for the 26-year-old.
“This one ranks 1 for me,” Kyrgios told reporters. “When I say I wouldn't want to do it with anybody else, I mean it. It was just special. The whole week, winning each round, I didn't take it for granted. I was soaking it in.”
Kokkinakis, who won his first singles title in Adelaide just before the Australian Open, feels the same way.
“I couldn't have asked for anything more,” Kokkinakis said. “Adelaide was No. 1 for me, but this has trumped it. To be a Grand Slam champion with my boy, we have known each other since we were eight, nine years old, done some serious things together, have had some serious experiences, but this is incredible. We didn't expect this at all.”
Wild cards Kokkinakis and Kyrgios were playing in just their fifth tour-level event as a team together.
Kyrgios told the press that he had worked harder than ever before throughout the two-week tournament, coming to the site early in the morning, hitting for hours and then putting in extra time at the gym. He said felt as if he was a completely different person, and the memory of winning a major with one of his top mates will be something he’ll always cherish.
“This is a memory that we are never going to forget,” he said. “We are going to grow old, and we're always going to, Remember that time we rolled off the couch and just won Oz Open? Honestly.”
Kyrgios and Kokkinakis did not have an easy path to the title. They took out the top-seeded duo of Mate Pavic and Nikola Mektic in the second round, and also topped the No.15, No.6 and No.3-seeded teams en route to the final.