“We got more people watching that guys in singles” Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis have eyes set on the 2022 Australian Open title


“We got more people watching that guys in singles” Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis have eyes set on the 2022 Australian Open title

Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis

Wildcard entrant Australian pair of Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis have now become the favourites for the 2022 Australian Open having defeated 3 seeded pairs in back-to-back matches after their first-round win. The Australians have started attracting crowds as well to the Kia Arena playing their matches in front of full houses.

After a straight-set win in the first round, they defeated the top-seeded pair of Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic in straight-sets in the second round and followed it up with consecutive 3-set wins over 15th seeded Ariel Behar and Gonzalo Escobar in the 3rd round and 6th seeded Tim Puetz and Michael Venus in the quarter-finals to enter the semi-finals of the Slam.

“We are bringing the game to new levels. Let’s just be honest, people come to see him play because he’s exciting. This is good, we need this for the sport. We haven’t drawn up any goals of what we want to achieve this year in doubles. I just want to play and give the people of Australia and the Australian Open a show.

“I’m gonna do everything I can to get a good rest, recover, train, f**k listen to me bro, I’ll be ready to go and I definitely think we’ve got a good shot at winning this,” said Kyrgios during his post-match press conference after their quarter-final win.

“It feels like a Davis Cup atmosphere”: Thanasi Kokkiankis on him and Nick Kyrgios playing

Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios
Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios

As they now prepare to take on the pair of Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos who are seeded 3rd in the tournament this year, Kokkinakis talked about how the chemistry between the pair and the atmosphere during their matches is changing the dimension of the match and helping them in crucial moments.

“It feels like a Davis Cup atmosphere every time we play. And we feel like we got more people watching sometimes than guys who are going deep in singles. And I think at the end of the day that’s what it is all about, it’s entertainment and having fun. I love playing with him, it’s so much fun. As I said, we get along off the court well and I think that fans and everyone on TV can see that, the sort of friendship and it’s authentic.

“He’s a bit more showboaty than I am, but that’s just our personalities and I think we complement each other really well. The thrill for us is honestly walking out there. This sounds stupid, but we worry about what happens in the match after. But it’s saying the support we’ve gotten and the crowd just goes nuts every time we get out there and how much they’re enjoying it, that kind of gets us going and gets us motivated to do better for them, honestly,” said Kokkinakis.

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Also Read: “I want to f*g win this thing” Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis storm into the semi-finals of the 2022 Australian Open