It started out as a wild sideshow but Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis are determined to harness the Australian Open’s chaotic crowd energy all the way to the doubles title.
The dynamic Australian duo have become Melbourne Park’s must-watch act during their unlikely giant-killing run.
Kyrgios and Kokkinakis have turned the new Kia Arena into a mini colosseum, powering past every experienced doubles combination they have faced.
In an almost unprecedented move, TV broadcasters have been opting to telecast the wild atmosphere of ‘Special K’ doubles matches instead of blockbuster singles contests involving the likes of the legendary Rafael Nadal.
Kyrgios and Kokkinakis will meet third seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos in the semi-finals as they aim to seal an unlikely spot in the decider.
Directly after the “unreal scenes” against Tim Puetz and Michael Venus in their quarter-final, Kyrgios declared in his on-court interview: “I’m not finished, I want to win this f***ing thing”.
In the press conference, Kyrgios stated he was determined to win for his fans.
“I know that over the years I haven’t been the best role model, but I was just learning how to deal with everything,” he said.
“I think now at 26 I have matured, and I’ve definitely realised that a lot of young kids and people, even people that are low on confidence, they do look towards us when we go out there.
“We are not special people. We’re normal humans that you might see walking in Australia, and we are now in the semi-finals of a grand slam.
“In Thanasi’s case and me, we have been around in some dark times.
“I guess tennis has always had personalities, and they have just really struggled to understand that there are different ways to go about it.
“You’ve got Roger Federer and these guys that are just once-in-a-generation athletes, I can’t be like that.”
© AAP
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