Thanasi Kokkinakis has left the door ajar for a potential reunion with his Grand Slam Winning doubles partner Nick Kyrgios at this summer’s Australian Open.
The duo, who are nicknamed the ‘Special Ks’, dazzled the last time they took to Melbourne’s blue courts together, clinching the 2022 men’s doubles title in front of a roaring home crowd at the Rod Laver Arena.
Their infectious and irrepressible brand of tennis caught the attention of many fans around the world, with the World No 77 claiming the pair felt like they wanted to give something back to people and ‘have some fun’.
‘Doubles is a tricky one because everyone loved it last time,’ Kokkinakis said when pressed on whether he’d team up with Kyrgios again this summer.
‘We loved it, it was so much fun.
‘It’s definitely not going to be the priority for us. We feel like we owe it to people to get back out there and have some fun.
‘It’s not something we’ve practised, but yeah, singles is definitely the goal. It’s a tricky one.Ā
Thanasi Kokkinakis (left) has left the door open for a potential doubles reunion between Nick Kyrgios (right) and himselfĀ Ā
The pair dazzled in Melbourne at the 2022 Australian Open, clinching the Men’s doubles title infront of a raucous home crowdĀ
Kokkinakis said that they would be prioritising the singles tournament, but added that both players wanted to give back to the fansĀ
‘If you have a big five-setter, with all due respect, the last thing you want to do is go out and play doubles the next day, but we’ll play it by ear and see how it goes.’
Kyrgios has played just one game of competitive tennis in the past two years, after being plagued with a spate of injuries.
Those have included a serious knee injury and ligament damage to his wrist.
He is due to headline this month’s Brisbane International, which gets underway on December 29.
‘It’s gonna be great for tennis, great for fans in Australia, fans all over the world,’ Kokkinakis added on Kyrgios’ return to the court.
‘He’s a a different cat. Obviously has a different sort of energy about him, and he’s a hell of a player, so I think people are going to love having him back.
‘It’s been a long time coming. I think he’s been ready for a while now to play, but I think he wanted to make sure he’s really ready (before) he steps back, so hopefully he can stay healthy.’
In recent months, Kyrgios has been hard at work in training and has opened up on some of the methods he’s been using to get his wrist back to full strength.Ā
He added that Kyrgios’ comeback from a long injury lay off was exciting for the sport, branding his compatriot ‘one hell of a player’Ā
Kyrgios has played only once competitively in the past two years, amid a spate of injuries
Even after his injury woes, Kokkinakis backed his great mate to return firing this summer.
He claimed he has been hitting fluffy tennis balls that U10 players learn on adding: ‘I had to teach my right wrist [how to play tennis] all over again.’Ā
‘(He’s a) super-talented player. With that serve you almost don’t even need to play that well at times to give yourself a chance,’ he added.
‘So if his body’s in good nick, which I’m sure it will be, yeah, for sure. He’s always a dangerous threat.’
Kokkinakis targets ATP top 50
The 28-year-old is one who knows all about the pain of enduring a prolonged injury lay-off.
Earlier this week Kokkinakis made a shock confession about his sporting career, claiming that he had thought about giving up on tennis as he battled abdominal injuries, groin injuries, as well as having to undergo shoulder surgery.
Despite that, in 2024 he has claimed some huge victories, dismissing Stefanos Tsitsipas, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Jack Draper over the year.Ā
He also notably dismissed Ben Shelton at last month’s Davis Cup to send Australia through to the semi-finals.
Kokkinakis, meanwhile, wants to break into the ATP Tour’s top 50 rankings in 2025Ā
‘Iāve had a higher ranking than where I finished up, but I feel as far as consistent big wins and my tennis level, itās as good as Iāve been,’ he said.
‘Iām going to use it as a springboard for this year coming up. I feel like my tennis is right there with the top guys, and Iām really knocking on the door.Ā
‘Iāve just got to keep working hard, and not take my foot off the gas.’
As for his main goal for 2025, Kokkinakis, whose highest ranking is No 65, is hoping to break the ATP Tour’s top 50.
‘Top 50 is the next push for me, and I donāt need to stop there. I think I can keep going, but thatās obviously the short-term goal,’ he said.Ā
