One of the bigger storylines going into the men’s doubles final has been which team the local crowd will get behind more.
Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis have enjoyed vocal support on the outer courts during their surprise run to the final against fellow Aussie pair Matt Ebden and Mac Purcell.
Fuming opponents were left in their wake, as the crowd did their part to give the untraditional pair an advantage, and it worked.
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Playing at home, fans soaking in the action didn’t need much motivation to back the ‘Special Ks’. They’re Aussie and they provide an air of entertainment seldom seen on the tennis court.
But tonight’s final is a whole different beast for Kyrgios and Kokkinakis, especially since they’re playing a pair of humble countrymen who go about their business with no fuss.
While being Australian will always be a point of support for fans cheering on a local hope, things get a bit more complicated when it’s another Aussie team on the other side of the court.
Australian fans love an underdog, and technically speaking, Kyrgios and Kokkinakis are just that, having barely played doubles as opposed to Ebden and Purcell who regularly compete.
But in this situation, the Melbourne crowd may resonate more with Ebden and Purcell, purely because the demographic of tonight’s crowd will be completely different to prior matches.
Even though the wild support from the stands has aided them in their unlikely rise through the tournament, there’s a fair chance the final will be attended by more conservative fans, who bought tickets to watch Ash Barty and will hang around to watch the doubles.
“The people that are coming have already bought their tickets,” former Australian pro Casey Dellacqua told Wide World of Sports’ The Morning Serve.
“I think they’ll be a very different crowd that we would have seen before. The crowd have come to watch the singles final and they’ve got the men’s doubles following that.
“I think it’s going to be more even across the board than it has been for Nick and Thanasi in their other matches.”
One of the more profound themes of this year’s Australian Open has been the impact the pair have had on the doubles game and tennis as a whole. While the traditionalists have lamented the hyped-up bravado and showmanship exhibited by the Australian pair, a younger more diverse audience has lapped it up.
“I’m glad its getting a lot of coverage for doubles. I work in the sport on a day-to-day basis and I truly believe we need to engage a new audience,” Dellacqua added.
“Demographically if you go to their matches it’s people under 30. I think we’ll see a lot of respect between the four players, I feel like Nick and Thanasi are going to be great role models. Whoever wins will get a spot in the ATP Cup World Tour finals.”
Kokkinakis and Kyrgios are looking to emulate their earlier success together, which saw them win the Wimbledon junior boys’ doubles championship. If they win tonight the calls will grow louder for them to be a more regular fixture on the doubles scene.
“They are very able and capable of going deep into the Grand Slams,” Mark Woodforde, a winner of 12 major men’s doubles titles alongside Todd Woodbridge, told SEN Radio.
“Unfortunately the way the game has evolved since our time, when we came up and generations before, to be a professional tennis player you competed week-in, week-out in the singles and doubles.
“For the Woodies, our great success on the doubles court was secondary, singles was always our focus. I’ve been extremely disappointed with the way our game has gone. We’ve created a division.
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“The singles stars and the ugly step-sisters, the doubles. The major stars don’t compete in doubles in the Grand Slams.
“To see Nick and Thanasi back in there and you also have to put Matt Ebden in this category, because they’re not doubles specialists and Max is still early on his career.
“It’s fantastic they’ve brought it back into the spotlight and I hope they do continue, especially for the Special Ks. They could do damage at the other Grand Slams.”
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