Nick Kyrgios, Thanasi Kokkinakis qualify as doubles team for ATP Finals after Australian Open victory

ByJames Walker-Roberts

Updated 01/11/2022 at 09:24 GMT

The Special K's are heading to Turin. Australian Open champions Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis have qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals. The pair have enjoyed an impressive year together, also winning a title in Atlanta and making two other semi-finals. Kyrgios and Kokkinakis are not playing the Paris Masters this week. There are still three doubles spots up for grabs at the ATP Finals.

Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis have secured their spot as a doubles team at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

The pair - dubbed the 'Special K's' - have enjoyed an impressive season together, going 18-5 across seven tournaments, including winning the Australian Open.

They are not playing this week’s Paris Masters but are now assured of a spot at the ATP Finals as they have won a Grand Slam title this year and will finish between eighth and 20th in the Race to Turin standings.

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Kyrgios and Kokkinakis join Wesley Koolhof/Neal Skupski, Rajeev Ram/Joe Salisbury, Marcelo Arevalo/Jean-Julien Rojer and Nikola Mektic/Mate Pavic in the field.

There are three spots still up for grabs.

Kyrgios and Kokkinakis started the year by beating several veteran teams at the Australian Open, including fellow Australians Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell in the final.

They also won the title in Atlanta and made the semi-finals in Miami and Tokyo.

They made the semi-finals in Tokyo last month but had to withdraw following an injury to Kyrgios.

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Kyrgios played both singles and doubles in Japan and said teaming up with Kokkinakis brought the "fun element" back for him.

“Tennis is stressful as hell in singles, you try to hold yourself in such high accountability every single time," Kyrgios explained.

"You could be out here for three hours and it’s exhausting and so serious. Playing doubles with Thanasi brings that fun element back.

“But at the same time, it is my job. I need to make money and that is how I do it, so I play both events."

The ATP Finals start on November 13.

Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal, Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev have qualified for the singles. Andrey Rublev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Taylor Fritz and Hubert Hurkacz are competing for the last two spots at the Paris Masters.

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