Nick Kyrgios remains the great entertainer on the ATP circuit right now. Playing doubles with fellow Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis, the duo has managed to make fans care more about doubles tennis with their interviews, their entertaining style of play, and light-hearted camaraderie.
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The Australian pair had their semifinal match against Horacio Zeballos and Marcel Granollers, seeded 3rd. Kyrgios and Kokkinakis won the match 7-6(4), 6-4, to advance to the finals. The last hurdle in their path to the Australian Open title is another all-Australian team of Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell.
Nick Kyrgios smashes his racket
Nick Kyrgios is known for wearing his heart on his sleeve during matches, which can sometimes result in him losing his cool. He plays animatedly, interacting often with the crowd, and the semifinal match was no different. Even with his friend Kokkinakis by his side, he could not maintain his composure.
Nick Kyrgios threw his racket on the court after surrendering a break point.
He then raised his middle finger in the direction of the Australian Open crowd. pic.twitter.com/woS9R585kr
— ESPN (@espn) January 27, 2022
At 4-3 up in the second set, Kyrgios got annoyed with the umpire about the net cord sensor, and hit the backboard quite hard with his hands. Later, when Zeballos and Granollers broke their serve, Kyrgios smashed a racquet so hard that it broke on first impact. He also flipped a finger at the crowd, looking extremely agitated.
Kyrgios says nothing beats playing with Thanasi
After that bout of frustration, Kyrgios regained his composure and he and Kokkinakis won the set and the match.
“I’ve played a lot of singles matches around the globe with amazing atmospheres, but this week with Thanasi. Nothing beats this, this has been insane,” the Canberra star said later. Kokkinakis said, “It’s all about the crowd, the atmosphere. That is what gets us going. We worry about the tennis second. We would not have had this result anywhere else it’s sick.”They also mentioned how they both bring different things to the table, especially when it comes to energy and charisma.
“We just enjoy it and have fun. I think we’re unpredictable and that’s why the crowd enjoy it,” they said.Kyrgios noted he was happy that it was an all Australian final, and that Aussies having so much success was exciting for him. Do you think they can grab their first Slam?
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