Rinky Hijikata was a wildcard entry - but now he finds himself in the finals of a Grand Slam alongside Jason Kubler as Australia welcomes a new set of tennis superstars.
, all of a sudden he’s actually thinking he can do it, and he’s got a guy there in Jason Kubler who’s got a good, steady-handed grip,” Woodbridge toldWoodbridge said he was heartened to see Kubler, who was plagued by injury early in his career, back in form at the age of 26 and helping guide the duo with his experience as they face off against Poland’s Jan Zielinski and Hugo Nys on Saturday in the men’s doubles final.Nick Kyrgios’ withdrawal from the Australian Open and the absence of world No.
Tennis Australia’s director of performance, Paul Kilderry, said the absence of big-name Aussie stars Kyrgios, Ajla Tomljanovic and Daria Saville due to injury was disappointing, but “their absence opened the door for other players to shine”. Alexei Popyrin, Alex de Minaur, Kim Birrell, Olivia Gadecki and Marc Polmans had all played fantastic tennis, Mr Kilderry said.The changing of the guard raised questions over who would step up in the absence of Roger Federer, with uncertainty plaguing the playing futures of Nadal and Andy Murray.
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