"We are going to grow old, and we're always going to, remember that time we rolled off the couch and just won Oz Open?" - Nick Kyrgios
Nick Kyrgios has said that winning the Australian Open is a memory he and Thanasi Kokkinakis will never forget.
The Australian duo had a fairytale run in the men's doubles competition as the unseeded duo won the title by defeating compatriots Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell in the final.
@AustralianOpen)Till the title! 🔥
Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis win doubles title beating the Ebden / Purcell pair!
(🎥 @AustralianOpen) https://t.co/QAcovhM2NE
The win comes eight-and-a-half years after Kyrgios and Kokkinakis won the Boys' doubles competition at Wimbledon.
"There was too much on it to do everything I could to play and play well, and look what happened. This is a memory that we are never going to forget. We are going to grow old, and we're always going to, Remember that time we rolled off the couch and just won Oz Open? Honestly."
The 26-year-old said that the win tops the list of his memories on the tennis court.
"For me, honestly, you know, I thought -- I have won some big titles around the world, played some amazing matches. This one ranks 1 for me. When I say I wouldn't want to do it with anybody else, I mean it. It was just special. The whole week, winning each round, I didn't take it for granted. I was soaking it in."
"Not one time did it cross my mind that we were going to win the title. Maybe when we got to about the quarters I started maybe thinking, but honestly, like the dedication I showed all week for my team, and like, I'm just super proud of myself the way -- you know, I don't really care too much after I lost to Medvedev, but doing it with Kokk is insane. This ranks 1 with me."
Kyrgios thanked Kokkinakis for his contribution and also mentioned that he felt like a "completely different person" during the doubles tournament.
"I feel like a completely different person, to be honest. Just happy. Honestly, off days I was waking up at 7:30, coming here hitting at 8:30, ice bath. I just thank my team. In the past I haven't had that many good people around me. Taken advantage of me. You know, I have had, I can't complain, had amazing two weeks, amazing experiences. I have just gone about it the right way.
"I owe it to Kokk, the way he came out this summer and won that tournament, and I'm not gonna ruin like -- we don't know how many Oz Opens we're going to play in the future due to injury or just deciding not to play.
@AustralianOpenI’m not sleeping for 3 days.... ARE YOU FUcKiNG KIDDING ME @NickKyrgios 🏆 @AustralianOpen
Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis are the first Australian pair to win the Australian Open Men's Doubles since 1997
With their incredible win, Kyrgios and Kokkinakis became the first Australian pair to win the Australian Open Men's doubles title since Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde in 1997.
Neither player had a memorable run in singles with Kokkinakis losing to Yannick Hanfmann in the first round while Kyrgios was ousted by Daniil Medvedev in the second round.
Fans will have to wait and see if the two pair up for any more doubles competitions in the course of the season.