AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 31, 2026

Neal Skupski

Christian Harrison

Press Conference

HARRISON-SKUPSKI/Kubler-Polmans

7-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Christian, I would like to start with you. Congratulations. It must be pretty satisfying and tell us about the experience getting over the home-crowd favorites.

CHRISTIAN HARRISON: Thanks. Unreal experience. This place is unreal to play. The crowds are incredible. For me, though, it was just simple. Just focused on just enjoying the moment with my partner. He brings a lot of experience. His level is just so high, and it really felt easy for me to just play my best tennis. So credit to him.

THE MODERATOR: Neal, you've tasted Wimbledon success, but it must be great to get another Grand Slam under your belt.

NEAL SKUPSKI: Yeah, it's amazing. Christian is making my feel old, though. But, yeah, it's obviously nice to get another Grand Slam. I was very close last year at the US Open and lose narrowly in the French.

Yeah, I look back on last year and kind of went over to see where it went wrong in the moments, and I learned from it. Yeah, Christian has given me a new lease of life this year. We started obviously last week in Adelaide. He came to Baton Rouge for a week of training in December, which was amazing to get on court with him and get to know him a little bit more.

But, yeah, it all feels well worth it now. Picking up this trophy, I think it's maybe my ninth or tenth time trying to get it, and Christian obviously a couple of times.

CHRISTIAN HARRISON: Second.

NEAL SKUPSKI: Only his second time. That does make me feel old (smiling).

Yeah, we're very happy. We're so excited for the year ahead. Still things that we can work on, but this is definitely an amazing start.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Congratulations. Christian, I'll start off with you. Obviously you've had some setbacks throughout your career. You know, you've had multiple surgeries and everything like that. You've seen Ryan taste French Open success as well.

Firstly, was there added motivation to one-up, like level him in terms of getting the Grand Slam title? Also, what does it mean to be able to reach this?

CHRISTIAN HARRISON: For me, it's just simple. The trophies, the tournaments are just a nice bonus. I love playing. Honestly, I just love stepping on the court and just having a good atmosphere. That's honestly what makes it just simple for me.

I know in the back of my mind that winning matches and the results are just, you know, a bonus prize. This is nice right here, but we're looking forward to just the whole year.

Yeah, it's like I've seen it obviously with Ryan. You know the pressure, the situations, but then for me, I always, like I said, I focus on just trying to play tennis and just enjoy hitting the ball and just trying to improve things and work on it and then trust our game.

Obviously doubles is a big team effort, and I trust what we bring to the table. Just try to simplify everything.

Q. Obviously, as you said, this is a very new partnership. Did you feel like as soon as you got on the court together you kind of gelled? What were your sort of expectations coming in here?

NEAL SKUPSKI: I mean, I've known Christian for a very long time.

CHRISTIAN HARRISON: Tell them about other first match together.

NEAL SKUPSKI: Yeah, we played a futures together straight out of college for me. 2013, I think it was.

CHRISTIAN HARRISON: 2013, January.

NEAL SKUPSKI: Yeah, we took a quick loss in the first round.

CHRISTIAN HARRISON: 6-1, 6-3.

NEAL SKUPSKI: That was in a Glasgow futures. Obviously we've upped our level since then.

CHRISTIAN HARRISON: He didn't play with me the next week (laughter). We were set to play the next week. He said, Do you care if I play with my brother?

NEAL SKUPSKI: Yeah, I knew from last year Christian was on the rise. I was watching him from I think it was Brisbane last year, the first time I'd seen him play properly for a long time, and I could definitely see that level and how players would probably be scared to play against him.

Well, firsthand, me and Joe lost to him in Dallas and then in -- where else?

CHRISTIAN HARRISON: Madrid.

NEAL SKUPSKI: Yeah, him and Evan had a great season last year. I think he started maybe in the 90s and then finished 15 in the world. So I knew Christian was on the rise, and that's something that I wanted to be with.

Yeah, that kind of came about in maybe October time. Yeah, very happy with the way it's going so far. Looking forward to progressing and improving throughout the year with our coaches.

Yeah, we're just going to try to stick to the process. I think that's going to be a very -- yeah, if we stick to our process and not get too high, then I think we'll have a good season.

Q. You've mentioned a few times the week in Baton Rouge. I'm curious just when you're partnering together for the first time, how do you actually get on the same page? What were you actually doing to get to the point where you could play as you have done this past few weeks?

CHRISTIAN HARRISON: So, for me, it was honestly just getting used to each other's ball speed. You know, I played with Evan last year, who is left-handed, so then adapting to him who serves right-handed, the ball is moving different when it lands. There's just different patterns of play.

I was switching to the deuce side as well, so spending just a lot of time on the same side of the net together and just getting used to how, the shots that each other are going to hit and then try to play into there.

For him, it was just with him at the net, me at the baseline, getting used to just those situations on where I like to target. You know, if the guy is at the baseline and then it's a one up, one back, or if they're both up. There are just like six to seven different situations like that that come up that you need to practice, and you get used to each other's strengths.

It's honestly as simple as that. The most tricky, I would say, is just when he is serving, for me, getting used to that. It wasn't tricky, but it was just spending enough time to do it, and I would say vice versa, because you get used to the serves that each other hit, second serves especially, and then just timing, how you disguise where you're popping up at the net.

So it's just, yeah, as simple as that.

Q. Neal, you mentioned those tough Grand Slam final losses last year. How much sweeter does it make this one, especially when you have the added layer of a brand new partnership?

NEAL SKUPSKI: Yeah, it feels a lot better today. Yeah, I think the French Open one didn't feel too bad. It was a very good level, and I think Granollers-Zeballos probably deserved it.

But then playing at the US Open, having them three match points on Zeballos' serve, it's definitely one that you look back on and think, could you have done anything better?

I think changing partners with Christian, it definitely gave me a new lease of life. It definitely got me to be more hungry. I've known Christian for a long time as well. We have mutual friends from Louisiana that kind of put us together.

Yeah, that was one of the main reasons I wanted to play with Christian, and that's why he came to Baton Rouge, because he was born in Louisiana. Yeah, definitely learned from them experiences, and yeah, hopefully we get deep in more tournaments so we can have these experiences as well to learn. Yeah, just learn together and to grow.

Q. Christian, a few days ago we had Ryan on Australian Open Radio, and he was asked where his French Open trophy is, and he said at your parents' place on a shelf, and it shows No. 1 son status. Where would you put this trophy?

CHRISTIAN HARRISON: Right next to it in front of it. No. (Smiling.) No, put it right next to it.

Actually, in December, I've seen it there for years, and I actually picked it up for the first time in December, because I always would see it there. I thought that in order to hold it, I was, like, I wanted to put in the work to try to get one myself.

But then just for whatever reason, we had friends over, and they got it out. Yeah, it's right there by the TV. So I would say on the other side.

Yeah, my parents, I see how emotional they get when we have success. I know they'll be proud to have another one up there.

Q. Were there tears from you just now when you were embracing him?

CHRISTIAN HARRISON: Of course, yes, because you know, I could see that he was emotional, and it always lets me know how much support I have in the family.

Yeah, I remember I was with my dad, like I said, when Ryan won his French Open. My dad couldn't even speak for hours, and I never really seen him get that emotional over a tennis match that we had won.

So it felt like, you know, it's a big team. And Neal with his brother here, it's the same exact way. We share those moments together, because without each other, it wouldn't even be possible for Neal and I.

Q. Neal, I don't know if you remember from, I guess, one of your AO runs, like, in the quarters, you lost to Rinky and Jason Kubler in the quarters. I guess, firstly, how is it going into the match today? Did you sort of have that added motivation to, firstly, get it done today, but secondly, you know, to get that first sort of hard court (indiscernible)?

NEAL SKUPSKI: Yeah, I definitely remember that match. They played unbelievable that day. Then I actually played them again in Miami. I think, me and Wesley, we looked at tape and kind of worked them out a little bit.

Then obviously coming in here, he's playing with a different partner, Marc Polmans. So we did our scouting of a few matches that we had tagged by the LTA and seeing the stats. So we knew going into big points or serving spots where they kind of like to go to. I think that definitely helps.

We've obviously got to give a lot of credit to the LTA for having that opportunity. Well, putting that data in front of us. They work very hard. Connor at the LTA, he is up all hours to try and get things done for us.

Yeah, Kubes, he seems to play very well here. He likes these courts, these conditions. Markey today, he was also very good. He seemed to get everything back around the net. He just kind of put it in awkward spots and definitely worried us in some situations.

But, yeah, we knuckled down and had to bring our best level today, and I think that's what we did. Also, this will definitely improve us, give us experience, and kind of, yeah, to know what to do next time, and especially in front of a crowd that, like today, was incredible.

Not just the Aussie support, but also the support that we had. It was kind of a Davis Cup atmosphere, and I think it's something that we kind of both enjoy playing in.

Q. Neal, obviously Brits have had huge success in men's doubles in recent years. You're now the fourth British man to win a Grand Slam title in the last year. I guess, I mean, that's pretty incredible, isn't it? How proud does it make you?

NEAL SKUPSKI: Yeah, I mean, obviously the doubles system in Britain is very good. Obviously down to Louis Cayer who has put in a lot of work with everyone. I can't thank him enough. He's obviously changed the way I play doubles and the rest of the guys, obviously Glasspool-Cash had a very good season last year winning all the titles and getting to World No. 1, and Patten winning Aussie last year and also the end-of-year Finals.

Then you've obviously got Joe and obviously Jamie Murray in the past who have won here. Obviously a lot of credit to Louis Cayer and the doubles system, and it seems to be working, and hopefully we can continue that success throughout the year.