Crowd favorites Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis crowned their double show at the Australian Open with a surprising title win.
The two Australian wildcard starters, who brought unexpected attention to the competition with their entertaining and emotional performances, won the final on Saturday against their compatriots Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell 7:5, 6:4.
For Kyrgios and Kokkinakis it was the first Grand Slam title – and for Australia the second tennis highlight within a few hours. Before the doubles final at Rod Laver Arena, Ashleigh Barty became the first Australian to win the singles title in Melbourne since 1978.
For the first time since 1980, four Australians had won the title in the doubles final of the home Grand Slam. With their unconventional performances, the two friends Kyrgios and Kokkinakis created a great atmosphere at their matches.
The broadcasting TV station “Nine” also reported on the ratings Down Under, which were extraordinarily high for doubles.
Opponents annoyed by the “Special Ks” shows
On their way, the “Special Ks” had eliminated four seeded teams, in addition to the top seeded duo Nikola Mektic/Mate Pavic (Croatia) also in the quarter-finals the German doubles specialist Tim Pütz and his New Zealand partner Michael Venus.
The wild and provocative nature of Kyrgios in particular was not only well received. Pütz spoke of “unsportsmanlike” behavior, Venus attested to Kyrgios “the maturity of a ten-year-old”.
According to his own statement, the idiosyncratic Kyrgios went on a special mission in Melbourne. The 26-year-old from Canberra, who has also been referred to as the bad boy of tennis and has slipped to 115th place in the individual world rankings, wanted to make his compatriots happy and entertain them after the enormous hardships caused by Corona.