The 17-year-old Nick Kyrgios finished his grand slam campaign with a 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 win over his 16-year-old doubles partner Thanasi Kokkanakis at Rod Laver Arena last weekend.
The half Greek half Malaysian youngster has made headlines all throughout this week, finally getting his dream world number one status in the Juniors and securing another grand slam title.
Kyrgios did not drop a set all tournament and fired down two thundering aces on three of the set points Kokkanakis held in the first set to keep that perfect record intact.
Kokkinakis, who reached the final after getting a wild card entry into the tournament, said he was satisfied with his performance. “It’s an unbelievable feeling to play in front of Rod Laver and receive the trophy by Pat Rafter,” referring to two of the country’s greatest stars. Kokkinakis, who is from Adelaide said. “Nick was almost unbeatable, as he did not lose a set in the tournament. He deserved to win.”
Currently No.840 on the ATP tour, Kyrgios is hopeful some Futures and Challenger tour success can accelerate his career path in the coming 12 months whilst also pursuing the other junior grand slams at Paris, Wimbledon and New York.
Kokkinakis on the other hand will have to miss the next few months due to another stress fracture in the L4 and L5 vertebrae in his back.
“I know I can recover. I’m young. I have plenty of time. I can recover and come back and do well later on in the year,” he says.
The final was a patriotic affair, with both representing their country on it’s national day.
With their Greek heritage on show too, Kyrgios also boasted that their final was about wanting “to show that Greeks can play tennis”.