Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis have pushed the No.1 seed duo at the ATP Finals despite a difficult hurdle before the opening game.
The Aussie duo were cool, calm and collected before their match as they were filmed laughing in the tunnel and singing ‘The Backstreet Boys’ in preparation for the epic showdown with Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski.
In a brutal twist to their chances, Kyrgios and Kokkinakis only stepped off a plane on Sunday having played in Mexico City on Friday.
But after a valiant effort, the ‘Special Ks’ were beaten in a ten-point match tie-break 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 10-5.
The duo pushed the top seeds all the way in Turin on Monday, the Anglo-Dutch pair finally overcoming them after 90 minutes.
While their preparation wasn’t ideal the duo showed plenty of promise in their opening match against the No.1 seeded team.
The duo can take confidence in their performance since this was only Kyrgios and Kokkinakis’ 30th doubles match of the year while their opponents had played more than 70.
And their relaxed state before the match shows they will still back themselves to get out of the Green Group in Turin to deliver Australia a long-awaited ATP Finals doubles title.
