FILE PHOTO: Tennis - ATP Finals Turin - Pala Alpitour, Turin, Italy - November 14, 2022 Australia's Nick Kyrgios and Australia's Thanasi Kokkinakis during the group stage doubles match against Britain's Neal Skupski and Netherlands' Wesley Koolhof REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo
(Reuters) - Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios will team up for doubles at next month's Australian Open, and the entertaining local duo is aiming to dazzle crowds at the Grand Slam again.
Nicknamed the "Special Ks" as juniors, Kokkinakis and his best friend Kyrgios claimed their only major title in 2022 in Melbourne Park by defeating compatriots Max Purcell and Matt Ebden in a memorable final two years ago.
The pair thrilled fans throughout the tournament with their exciting play which produced a raucous atmosphere at matches and brought doubles more attention than normal.
"Everyone loved it last time, we loved it, it was so much fun," Kokkinakis told reporters.
"It's definitely not going to be the priority for us (but) 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 singles is definitely the goal.
"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."
Former Wimbledon runner-up Kyrgios has played only one singles tour match in the last two years due to knee, foot and wrist injuries but confirmed his return to the circuit before the first Grand Slam of 2025.
"It's going to be great for tennis, great for fans in Australia, fans all over the world," Kokkinakis added.
"He's 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 he wanted to make sure he's really ready before he steps back, so hopefully he can stay healthy."
The 2025 Australian Open will run from Jan. 12 to 26.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
