Matt Ebden jumped to the defence of his opponents in tomorrow’s men’s doubles final, insisting that the run of Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis had been good for the sport.
While not everyone has been a fan of the Special Ks, Ebden was not among the detractors.
“It’s great for the game of doubles, the crowds have been great, for their matches particularly,” he said on 2DayFM’s Hughesy, Ed & Erin.
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“It’s great for tennis overall.”
Ebden was also asked to comment on the thoughts of Kiwi doubles player Michael Venus who earlier this week slammed Kyrgios for his on-court behaviour and maturity level, after he and German Tim Putz lost a fiery quarter-final to the Special Ks.
He giggled at the comments made by Venus calling Kyrgios a “knob” when they were played back to him.
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“I wasn’t there when that happened but Nick did come up and tell me ‘next time, if you want to get in a fight, come with me’,” Ebden said.
“The Croatian guys’ coach who they beat earlier on came and threatened him … but they do their thing.
“It’s a bit unavoidable. He’s great for entertainment and when he’s on he’s an unbelievable player and an unbelievable serve, so it’s good for tennis.”
Ebden said a bit of buzz started generating early in the tournament about a potential match-up against the Special Ks.
“It’s been great, we’ve been talking to the other boys this last week and helping them with a few tips on a couple of the doubles teams they’ve played.
“An all-Aussie final, what could be better?”
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