Fresh of his and Thanasi Kokkinakis’ whirlwind run to the Australian Open men’s doubles title, Nick Kyrgios has praised the pair’s efforts in adding a new dimension to this year’s tournament.
Fans have flocked to see the pair play throughout the fortnight at Melbourne Park, which culminated in a 7-5, 6-4 win over compatriots Matt Ebden and Max Purcell on Saturday night.
Riding in their slipstream has been drama aplenty, with crowds at their matches copping plenty of criticism for their antics, a last-minute eviction during the final the latest in a long line of examples.
In typical style, Kyrgios turned heads in his post-match press conference, doubling down on his delight at the experience he and Kokkinakis have provided at the year’s first grand slam – revealing that even women’s champion Ashleigh Barty’s father Robert has been impressed.
“I would say that we’ve created probably the best atmosphere that this tournament’s ever seen, to be brutally honest with you,” Kyrgios said.
“Ash’s father came to us and said the crowd was the best he’s ever seen.
“Obviously Ash is a hell of a player, but I think the ratings speak for themselves. People watch my matches, everywhere I play around the world the stadiums are full for that reason.
“There’s a reason why the ratings are the way they are, and people are glued to the TV when we play. Speaks for itself, really.”
However, Kyrgios and Kokkinakis’ final was beaten in the ratings by Barty on Saturday night, with Australian audience measurement research firm OzTAM revealing 4.261 million people tuned in to see the world number one down Danielle Collins in the earlier match on Rod Laver Arena, compared to 3.154 million for the doubles final.
Ash Barty’s victory at the #AusOpen was the highest rating AO Women’s final in OzTAM history. The game was watched by a peak audience of 4.261 million (Metro: 3.074 million / 1.187 million) and a national average audience of 3.577 million (Metro: 2.581 million / 995,000). pic.twitter.com/ImmqctOpO8
— Nine Comms (@9Comms) January 29, 2022
The all Aussie Men’s Doubles finals match at the #AusOpen was the highest rating Men’s Doubles in OzTAM history. It drew a peak audience of 3.154 million (Metro: 2.303 million / Reg: 851,000) and a national average audience of 2.297 million (Metro: 1.725 million / Reg: 572,000). pic.twitter.com/5f649KUm3U
— Nine Comms (@9Comms) January 29, 2022
That, though, was still easily the highest-rating doubles final since OzTAM’s inception.
Kyrgios also opened up on his delight at securing a grand slam title, describing the match as his favourite tennis memory.
“I’ve won some big titles around the world, played some amazing matches… this one ranks one for me,” he said.
“When I say I wouldn’t want to do it with everyone else, I mean it. It was just special, the whole week; even winning each round I didn’t take for granted. I was soaking it in.
“Not once did it cross my mind that we were going to win the title – maybe, when we got to the quarters, I started maybe thinking.”
Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis celebrate winning the Australian Open men’s doubles final. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
Criticised in the past for his approach towards match preparation – which has included, among other things, ‘playing FIFA until 3am’ – Kyrgios also noted his professionalism throughout this tournament.
“Honestly, the dedication I showed all week for my team, I’m just super proud of myself,” Kyrgios said.
“I could have not really cared too much after I lost to [Daniil] Medvedev [in the singles], but doing it with ‘Kokk’ is insane.
I feel like a completely different person, to be honest. Just happy, honestly. On my off days, I was waking up at 7:30, coming in here at 8:30.
“I just thank my team. In the past I haven’t had that many good people around me, and they’ve taken advantage of me.
“I’ve had an amazing two weeks, had some amazing experiences, and I’ve just gone about it the right way.”
The source of Kyrgios’ newfound commitment is also clear – his doubles partner and close mate.
“I owe it to ‘Kokk’, you know. The way he came out this summer and won that tournament… I’m not going to ruin [it],” Kyrgios said.
“We don’t know how many Aus Opens we’re going to play in the future, due to injury or just deciding not to play, so I thought there was a chip on my shoulder to do everything I can to play and play well, and look what happened.
“This is a memory that we’re never going to forget. We’re going to grow old and we’re always going to remember the time we rolled off the couch and just won Aus Open.
“Honestly. F—ing crazy.”
‘F—ing nuts,” Kokkinakis added.
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