Thanasi Kokkinakis first laid eyes on Nick Kyrgios when he was a “chubby kid from Canberra” decked out in Michael Jordan gear.

“I loved my NBA back then and we just ended up travelling a lot together, representing Australia together from a young age,” Kokkinakis said.

“We played Counter-Strike until 3am in Europe sometimes. We love our NBA. We just talk rubbish to each other.

“We’re different, but we are similar in a way as well. We just get along.”

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The bromance born at an under-9s kid’s cup in the nation’s capital has captivated the Australian Open.

Tennis is now cashing in. Kyrgios claimed the ‘Special Ks’ had spiked TV ratings by 45 per cent. He might’ve undersold it.

On Tuesday they bumped 20-time slam champion Rafael Nadal off Channel 9 mid-match and then charged into Saturday night’s all-Aussie final with the most-watched doubles match in Australia in 15 years … played on a Thursday afternoon.

MRS KYRGIOS ‘THE FIGHTER’

Back among the viewers is Nick’s mum, Norlaila.

“Mum is great,” brother Christos Kyrgios said.

“She’s a fighter. She has some heart issues and combining that with the heightened tension around watching Nick’s matches, she hasn’t been able to watch them at all, even on TV, over the last few years.

“But this doubles campaign has really allowed her to get involved and be right there courtside, which is so great to see.”

Obviously, the Kyrgios clan is hooked.

But why is the world glued to these singles specialists who have suddenly stormed the doubles draw?

“They’re just so real,” Kyrgios’ representative Tristan Hay said.

“People can relate – all their beauty and their flaws are just on show.

“Not just in tennis, but every sport now you kind of get used to vanilla, whereas Thanasi and Nick are the opposite.”

LOVE OR HATE HIM – THE KYRGIOS EFFECT

Kyrgios had his head in the clouds on Friday.

On the eve of his maiden grand slam final, the Boston Celtics tragic buckled-up on a Southbank helipad and boarded a chopper for a winery tour.

You can love him or hate him – and there doesn’t seem to be much of a middle ground – but the chances are your eyeballs are on him.

Serena Williams’ long-time coach and hothead John McEnroe are among the swelling section of admirers.

“I feel like if Kyrgios was playing chess, the stadium would be full,” Patrick Mouratoglou, who guided Serena to 10 grand slams, said.

McEnroe added: “I’ve been talking about the need in tennis for personalities. It’s not like it is in team sports where you can root for your city or your country, so this idea of expressing yourself and showing personality is very important.

“You need to have a rooting interest in someone. Some people think (Novak) Djokovic is Darth Vader.”

FROM BRASH TEENS TO INSPIRATIONS

The club of haters took flight in 2015, when Kyrgios told Stan Wawrinka: “Kokkinakis banged your girlfriend, sorry to tell you mate”.

Kyrgios was an immature 20-year-old who had just dropped a tie-breaker at the US Open.

The public image makeover has been exceptional ever since.

In 2020 there was a touching tribute to Kobe Bryant and a compassionate pledge that was widely copied to donate $200 per ace in response to Australia’s devastating bushfires.

He also became the sport’s Covid crusader, calling Novak Djokovic a “tool” for organising an exhibition event in Balkans, where several stars including Djokovic contracted the virus.

Not to mention the Nick Kyrgios Foundation, which will give underprivileged kids the chance to make their sporting dreams a reality.

Was this PR spin? Or from the heart?

“Bushfires, Covid … that’s when people started to understand a bit about Nick,” Hay said.

“It’s like everyone in life, you reach a point where you start to take stock and think about where you’re going and Nick’s done that really well.

“You can’t tell Nick what to say or what to do, Nick’s Nick. Once you understand that about Nick it makes life easy.

“You can give your thoughts if he asks you, but he’s going to do and say what he thinks is right and that was evident with the bushfires and Covid and is evident now.”

Kyrgios’ ranking and profile are poles apart. That’s because he’s as marketable as they get.

“Everyone’s sick of getting fooled a bit, and Nick is just a genuine guy,” Hay said.

“Brands want to associate with people that are authentic and genuine.

“Not everyone’s going to agree with what Nick says or does, but he just does what he thinks is right.”

THE REBUILDING OF KOKKINAKIS

Kokkinakis, the Adelaide ace with earring bling, is a rock star in his own right as well.

It was training, and not theatrics, that got ‘The Kokk’ back on the court.

Former North Melbourne fitness guru Jona Segal put Kokkinakis through punishing eight-hour training sessions three times a week on his road to recovery from a stress fracture in his back, glandular fever as well as shoulder, abdominal, pectoral, groin, knee and elbow injuries.

Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott had front-row tickets.

“I‘d be training with Thanasi every day. People saying how much work that kid has done, he deserves this,” Alcott said.

As for their polarising personas?

“I have been embraced because of my personality, not because I won tennis tournaments,” Alcott said.

“Personality is the key. So they are different – different is good. We can‘t all be the same. The vibe out there is epic.”

Rewind to those junior days in Canberra and Kyrgios the kid was a jack of all sports … and jazz dancing.

“We played everything growing up, really!” Christos said.

“Jazz dancing, basketball, soccer, softball, swimming … I think the key with kids growing up (is) to give them the opportunity to play all sports and then allow them to grow into whichever one takes their preference.

“This is the driving factor behind Nick’s Foundation, too.

“We are striving to increase the opportunity for youth that we can help play sport.”

THE SPECIAL K’S FIRST TITLE

Christos was at Wimbledon in 2013 when Kyrgios and Kokkinakis claimed the junior doubles crown.

Even that trophy came with a serve from Queen’s officials, when the boys breached the all-white policy by donning pink headbands.

“We were down a set and a break (in the) first round and then the big fella put me on his back and carried me to the title. Forever in debt,” Kokkinakis said.

Kyrgios added: “I just put you on the back, like today (the semi-final). Blew a disc”.

The Wawrinka sledge was as spicy as it gets, and Stan’s anger didn’t diminish after match point.

“He tried to avoid me (in the locker room), but I confronted him,” Wawrinka said.

“Every match, he has problems. He doesn‘t just behave badly towards himself, he behaves very badly towards the people around him … other players, ball kids, umpires.

“I really hope the ATP will take major action against him this time.”

The on-court enemies this fortnight have also bitten hard, but with far less venom.

RUBBING RIVALS UP THE WRONG WAY

After the Special Ks ousted the No. 1 doubles seeds they were accosted in the locker room by one of the Croatian player’s fitness trainer.

“He smashed a foam roller against a pole as hard as he can … and he came up to Nick and said we were being disrespectful,” Kokkinakis said.

“They said we were showboating, but I’m sure if we played away in Croatia it would’ve been the same thing.

“I think they were a bit salty they lost. They’ve won their fair share of tournaments so I thought they’d handle losing a little better than that.”

Kiwi Michael Venus, another defeated opponent, vented: “He’s (Kyrgios) just an absolute knob. His maturity level … it’s probably being generous to a 10-year-old to say it’s about that level”.

Kyrgios’ return serve to the Croats probably applies to Venus, too.

“Enjoy your flight home,” he said.

There’s a feeling distinguished doubles duos are frustrated these wildcards – with the emphasis on the ‘wild’ – have crashed their party and snatched both the spotlight and possibly the glory in one revolutionary swoop.

Even Aussies Max Purcell and Matt Ebden – who dubbed themselves the ‘M&Ms’ in response to the corny Special Ks – appeared a touch aggrieved.

“Let’s look at it,” Ebden said ahead of Saturday night’s final.

“They have higher singles rankings right now. We have higher doubles rankings.

“The pressure is on them for sure. They’ve had pressure on them their whole lives.”

But beneath the swagger is some serious substance.

Boorish crowds haven’t banished the No. 1, 3, 6 and 15 seeds, bloody good tennis has.

Doubles legend Todd Woodbridge likened Kyrgios’ 199km second serve to ‘Pistol’ Pete Sampras while their semi-final was won with a topspin lob from Kokkinakis.

“It‘s not like I’m going out there putting on a clown suit and creating a circus,” Kyrgios said.

THE SECRET TO SPECIAL K SUCCESS

The secret to their success might not have anything to do with tennis at all.

“There’s lot of doubles pairings that just play because they’re good together,” Kokkinakis said.

“But they don‘t actually enjoy each other’s company off the court and I think that’s what makes us who we are.

“Whether we win or lose we generally enjoy our time together and have fun out there and I think for me my favourite part is entertaining.

“Sometimes I just have to let him do his thing and have the show when he runs around like that, but I love it, it‘s so much fun.”

How about this exchange on Nick’s frequent moments of fire?

Kokkinakis: “Sometimes when things aren‘t going right (he) loses his temper. I’m there to calm him down. I think it’s just having somebody he can kind of talk to, relay his feelings when he’s on court”.

Kyrgios: “Aw”.

Kokkinakis: “No worries. I try to be a steady head out there for him. I also don‘t want to take away that energy and that fire, because I think that’s what makes Nick Nick”.

Kyrgios: “That‘s the cutest answer I’ve ever heard.”

So, who is the real Nick Kyrgios?

“An authentic caring, passionate and generous young man is what he has always been, just with a furiously competitive nature that has been there since we were kids,” Christos said.

“We can’t ever play a game of ANYTHING without the competitive spirit running high.

“Unfortunately, in the past maybe some-not-so accurate narratives have been run in the media.

“We always so proud of Nick, and this tournament is no different. He has overcome huge adversity throughout his young career so far and through it all has stayed true to himself which to me is the biggest win.

“We love riding the wave with him and will be whatever we need to support the journey in any way.

“We love him!”