The tennis vigilantes, Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis look to bring their dysfunctional brand of brilliance back to the doubles court this season at the 2025 Australian open.
Doubles, largely seen as to be made up of failed singles players, got the personality change it needed in 2022, when the ‘Special K’s’ notoriously bulldozed their way past teams of tennis traditionalists in a bruising and controversial fashion. The sporting counter culturists antagonised opponents while inciting Aussie crowds full of half-cut tennis hooligans to cheer on their WWE style of play. But this Summer Slam wasn’t staged or scripted like pro wrestling and hairy scenes tended to ensue with outraged players and pundits making a racket backstage, after matches were over.
After a shambolic second round encounter, a peaking team of angry coaches and furious athletes on the opposing team ambushed our entourage in the warmup area of the players gym. They argued ‘The K’s’ flamboyant tennis was nefarious, leaving a dirty shit stain on the all-whites of the ‘Gentleman’s game’. Unbeknownst to them, Kyrgios and Kokkinakis weren’t the only guys serving up trouble, as our support staff riled up the crowd when the opposition missed easy shots, coughed during their second serves and the comedian in the entourage did his best Jim Courier impersonation, commentating loudly on the match in-between the points. The shit show was contagious, and everyone was riding the ridiculous wave.
We were on the cusp of an ATP street fight in the accredited areas of Rod Laver Arena, as an enraged coach picked up a foam roller and started swing it around like a baseball bat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laaBcLUjbf4 Luckily Kyrgios and Kokkinakis have always had a knack for hiring brawns before brains, so we had a team full of motley crew meatheads and high school dropouts–me included–that put enough intimidation factor into the feisty Europeans to deescalate a Royal rumble from arising. Despite being around an outfit of bodybuilder biceps, I kept eyes in the back of my head for the duration of the tournament and fortunately made it out alive with all my limbs intact.
Everyone wonders why Kyrgios and Kokkinakis’s singles careers have taken different looking trajectories since they both have such unbridled talent and have a hell of a lot of similarities. I believe the biggest difference lies in their personality. In my opinion, one of the reasons why Kyrgios has gone a lot further with his singles career is because he’s not afraid of looking incredibly stupid.
It’s more comfortable to be ‘The idiots’ than it is to be ‘The idiot’, as it’s simply a pressure too burdensome for most individuals to bear. Thanasi likes playing with Nick because they get to be jesters together. It’s fun and safe when you’ve got the ultimate wingman by your side. But when it comes to the singles court, Kokkinakis can quickly revert into his shell and lose his superhero ‘Special K’ status. Whereas Nick is just as much the ringleader of the circus on the singles court, as he is when he teams up with Kokkinakis on the doubles court. The 29-year-old Canberra native’s attitude is natural and unwavering, which makes him one of a kind wherever he goes. At his best, Kyrgios utilizes his rarity and feels completely comfortable being ‘The idiot’. A terminology I use in the most endearing fashion.
There’s not too much difference between being oblivious and courageous, and in my opinion, the idiot tends to have the audacity to try the unthinkable, whereas the conservative man leans towards cautiousness, becoming cowardly in action. It’s rare to see the meek leave with the trophy.
My book SMASHED: Tennis prodigies, parents and parasites is out January 2025. You can preorder it here now!
