Thanasi Kokkinakis believes close mate Nick Kyrgios will not retire from tennis “any time soon” and teased a possible return of the “Special K” duo who claimed the Australian Open men’s doubles title in 2022.
Kyrgios potentially walking away from tennis has been a hot topic in recent days with the former Wimbledon finalist claiming he was ready to walk away in a newspaper column before later walking back his comments.
Kokkinakis believes Kyrgios’s recent commentary stint is only temporary and the 28-year old will be back on the court before long.
Loading TikTok content
“I’m having dinner with him tonight, and he ain’t retiring any time soon, so he’s good. He’s playing,” Kokkinakis said.
“He’ll be right. He’s commentating short-term but he’ll be back playing pretty soon.”
With Kyrgios only appearing in one tour match over the last 16 months due to injury there’s been precious little opportunity for he and Kokkinakis to repeat their brilliant combination from 2022.
But Kokkinakis has promised a return for the duo, possibly at the 2025 tournament.
“Special K definitely has to come back,” Kokkinakis said.
“We haven’t played since we won the doubles here in Australia, so we’ve definitely got to bring it back and we’d love your support.”
The Special K’s attracted rowdy support during their run to glory, especially when playing at the smaller John Cain Arena.
With crowd behaviour coming under examination in this year’s Open, Kokkinakis believes the volume of the fans is one of the unique features of playing in Australia and should be celebrated.
“Having that roar in John Cain goes nuts, so I love it. I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Kokkinakis said.
“It’s one of the perks of playing in Australia. I’d love my fans to go nuts rather than be the other way.”
His run with Kyrgios was part of a breakout year for Kokkinakis — prior to the Aus Open he won the Adelaide International and in the two years since he’s gone on to earn a career high ranking of 65 and equalled his best ever grand slam run by making the third round of last year’s French Open.
The secret is a greater command of the mental game, which has helped the 27-year old unlock some of his best tennis.
“Everyone was telling me how composed I was after that. Trust me, in my mind I was going absolutely nuts but, I’m happy I could keep it together,” Kokkinakis said.
“Tennis is a very mental sport, so I’m trying my best to keep everything together, no matter how crazy I might be inside.”
dan