Doubles partner refutes claims Nick Kyrgios was snubbed from Davis Cup
Thanasi Kokkinakis has revealed Nick Kyrgios wasn’t snubbed from of Australia’s Davis Cup team as he had other coinciding commitments.
Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis, dubbed the ‘special Ks’, brought excitement and flair as they enraptured the Melbourne Park crowds when they stormed to the Australian open doubles title.
En route to their ‘Happy Slam’ victory, the home duo beat the world’s top ranked doubles partnership in Mate Pavic and Nikola Mektic.
However, Australia’s Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt omitted Kyrgios from Australia’s team. Hewitt opted to chose Alex de Minaur, Thanasi Kokkinakis, John Peers, Alexei Popyrin and debutant Luke Savile.
This led many to question why Kyrgios was left out of the team, especially after such impressive performances and results.
Speaking with Sky News, newly-crowned Australian Open doubles winner Kokkinakis said “he (Kyrgios) definitely was asked to play.
“He has a few things on so he wasn’t able to play but he definitely didn’t get snubbed or anything – I saw those headlines and he didn’t get snubbed at all. Hopefully we can team up again in the future.
“I think Nick has shown he always loves playing for Australia. I’m not sure exactly what he has on, but he obviously has something pretty important.
“He’s obviously in our strongest team. He was definitely asked and I think he and Lleyton [Hewitt] have a good relationship, but he just wasn’t available for this time.”
On his own call-up, Kokkinakis said “I’m stoked to get the call-up from Lleyton. It’s been a long time since I’ve played Davis Cup.
“It’s a cool feeling putting on those colours and playing for Australia. That atmosphere is unmatched. It’s a great reward for the summer I’ve had, for me and my team and all the hard work I’ve put in.”
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