Final showdown to prove cash cow for Kyrgios
NICK Kyrgios is in line for his biggest Australian Open payday — topping his entire 2021 earnings — in a men’s doubles final that has attracted interest like none before it.
Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis have turned the tennis world on its head to the point where Saturday night’s doubles showdown with Max Purcell and Matt Ebden, marking the first all-australian men’s grand slam doubles final in 42 years, has turned into one of the most anticipated matches of the week. And it could be a lucrative one, too.
Kyrgios played precious few tournaments in 2021, entering the Australian Open on the back of a five-match losing streak, and finished the year with a 7-8 singles record; with $430,102 finding its way into his bank account.
While that’s nothing to sniff at, Kyrgios is set to blow that out of the water in one special fortnight with his best mate.
Should they keep the party going with victory over their fellow Australians, they’ll split the $675,000 in prizemoney — giving each player $337,500.
Throw in the $154,000 Kyrgios earned for his first-round win over Liam Broady and he will bank a healthy $491,500 for two weeks’ work at Melbourne Park — more than the $340,000 he earned for reaching the 2015 Australian Open quarter-finals.
As for who deserves favouritism, it’s a prickly question for both camps.
Ebden stepped in to ramp up even more pressure on their high-profile opponents — who don’t have the doubles rankings to show for their heavymetal performances this week.
“They have higher singles rankings right now,’’ Ebden said.
“We have higher doubles rankings. They had big crowd support.
“We did also yesterday. “The pressure is on them.”