Nick Kyrgios said he feels like a completely "different person" following his Australian Open men's doubles experience, which is a memory he will "never forget".
Kyrgios received a wild card into the tournament with his childhood friend Thanasi Kokkinakis and the pair rode a wave of raucous support all the way to the end.
They capped a remarkable night for Australian tennis by following Ashleigh Barty's singles triumph and defeating another all-Australian pair, Matt Ebden and Max Purcell, 7-5 6-4.
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Kyrgios and Kokkinakis, the first all-Australian pair to win the title since Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde 25 years ago, celebrated with a chest bump and looked genuinely astonished by their achievement.
"I feel like a completely different person, to be honest. Just happy. Honestly, off days I was waking up at 7:30, coming here hitting at 8:30, ice bath. I just thank my team," said Kyrgios.
"In the past I haven't had that many good people around me. Taken advantage of me. I can't complain, had amazing two weeks, amazing experiences. I have just gone about it the right way."
'The Special Ks' were roared on by a packed Rod Laver Arena having brought the type of crowds never before seen for doubles to Melbourne Park and Kyrgios said it was a special moment for him.
"I have won some big titles around the world, played some amazing matches," he said. "This one ranks number one for me.
"When I say I wouldn't want to do it with anybody else, I mean it. It was just special. The whole week, winning each round, I didn't take it for granted. I was soaking it in.
"The dedication I showed all week for my team, and I'm just super proud of myself. Doing it with Kokk is insane.
"This is a memory that we are never going to forget. We are going to grow old, and we're always going to be like, 'Remember that time we rolled off the couch and just won Oz Open'?"
It was a special moment, too, for Kokkinakis, who has struggled badly with injury problems over the past couple of years but has now followed up a first ATP title at home in Adelaide with a Grand Slam trophy.
He said: "I knew what I was capable of but you always have doubts and you always think to yourself, 'What if it doesn't happen, what if my career doesn't plan out the way I want it to, or what if I never win a title or get a chance like that?'
"To have the summer I've had, I was stoked with making a semi-final in Adelaide. And then to win, I was, like, 'Can't get any better than this'. Then to win a Grand Slam after that, this month has been unbelievable for me.
"Hopefully this is a start but, if this is as good as it gets for me, I'm happy."
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By virtue of their win, Kyrgios and Kokkinakis are already in a good position to qualify for the end-of-season ATP Finals but they will not be playing together at Wimbledon, with Kyrgios concentrating on singles.
"I'm not playing the French, and I'm not playing Wimby doubles. Maybe just US and then Finals," added Kyrgios.
Kokkinakis joked: "There you go. I'll just try and find someone else. That's fine. Didn't even enjoy it, anyway."
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