As local pair Jason Kubler and Rinky Hijikata basked in glory after winning the Australian Open men’s doubles final on Saturday night, one of their defeated opponents cried while reflecting on his grandfather.
After Monaco’s Hugo Nys and Poland’s Jan Zielinski suffered a 6-4, 7-6 (4) defeat at Rod Laver Arena, the former addressed the crowd in emotional scenes.
”I need a moment,” Nys said as he welled up.
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“My grandfather was a player in the ’50s and he passed away in 2017.
“Yeah, I just wanted to do it for him, but next time, I guess.”
The solemn speech put a dampener on a fairytale night enjoyed by Kubler and Hijikata, who won the tournament despite being wildcards.
They replicated the heroics of Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis, who reinvigorated doubles tennis with their magnificent play and outlandish antics en route to conquering last year’s Australian Open.
Kubler laughed about how far he and Hijikata had come as a duo in the last couple of weeks.
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“Rinky and I definitely didn’t think this was happening two weeks ago, so a bit of a pleasant surprise, I should say,” Kubler said.
Aussie duo seize ‘fairytale’ AO crown
“I’ve got to thank Rinky. He was actually the reason we teamed up for this tournament. I wasn’t sure if I was going to play or not, and then Rinky asked me and I decided to play. Geez, two weeks later now we have this trophy. Big thank you to Rinky.
“And also, Rinky’s only 21 and a grand slam champion now, so he’s got a great future ahead of him. Hopefully he continues to succeed in singles or doubles — whatever he chooses to play.”
Hijikata showed his appreciation for the tremendous crowd support during the pair’s dream run.
“To everyone who’s come out this entire two weeks … it’s been ridiculous,” Hijikata said.
“I’ve never experienced anything like it and I hope I can more in the future, so thank you very much everyone for the last two weeks.”
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