‘Wearing recycled Kmart shirts until Cotton On came on board’: How Thanasi Kokkinakis traded up

Tennis comeback kid Thanasi Kokkinakis reveals why he and doubles partner Nick Kyrgios work and why he’ll travel solo until he finds the right love match.

It was only a few years ago that Thanasi Kokkinakis was buying $5 T-shirts that would shrink in the wash.

The Aussie tennis ace wasn’t on the radar of sponsors like other flashy and successful players.

After some tough, injury-hit months he started on the comeback trail, began winning again and showed the glimpses of the talent that made the boy from Adelaide, who lives in Melbourne, one of the young stars to watch.

The rollercoaster of form, travel and earnings are all too familiar to Kokkinakis.

The 26 year-old is riding a good wave now but he’s well aware it can come crashing down at any time.

Finally, after a series of injuries, glandular fever and low points, he’s just come off his best season, playing 35 matches in total from his 15 tournaments.

“A lot of people don’t realise at the top end, and this year was a great year for me financially and I’m definitely not complaining,’’ he says. “But I had weeks in the past where I’m losing money, paying more out to my team than I’m making. It all takes work, it won’t happen overnight, I know I’ve got a strong team behind me.

Kokkinakis is happy to wait for his love match. Picture: Ryan Brabazon

“I travel with my coach and my trainer. My family come pretty rarely, maybe the odd time they’ll come to a grand slam. Travelling is tough, I’d say it’s the worst part about tennis.

“You get some perks, you get to visit some cool places but you’re focusing on your next match. Although travelling to cool places you don’t get heaps of time to have a look around and the only time is towards the end of the year but we didn’t have much time this off-season.

“It’s probably my least favourite part about tennis is the lack of off-season or pre-season. Just the amount of constant travel, week after week, you’re never really settled. Always changing time zones, surfaces, conditions, so there’s a lot of variables every week. I guess when you’re at the top level these are the sacrifices you make.”

Kokkinakis estimates he’s missed about five or six good years of his career due to injury. He’s making the most of it now but don’t expect his entourage to expand much and he admits it’s been tough for him to hold down a personal relationship.

“It’s weird, the grass is always greener,’’ he says.

“When you’re at home and not doing much you want to travel and when you’re travelling and playing a lot of tournaments all you want to do is go home. I’ve missed a large chunk of my career and I know it’s not forever so I’ve got to try and make the most of whatever I have left.

He will appear in marketing campaigns and billboards for his new sponsor, Cotton On. Picture: Ryan Brabazon

“I’m not the guy to talk to about relationships that’s for sure. I don’t know what I’m doing. It doesn’t make it easy travelling so much. I haven’t travelled with a girlfriend and I want them to assist me but I don’t want to take away from their life and make them feel like they’re just doing everything for me. It’s a tricky balance and I’m sure when I find the right one we’ll see, until then I’ll keep going rogue and solo.”

Kokkinakis is reflecting on those sometimes lonely, tough days on tour, fending for himself, after taking part in a photo shoot that will now see him appear across marketing campaigns and billboards for his new sponsor, Aussie retail brand Cotton On.

“It just started with me going into a store and buying shorts because I liked the look and length of them,’’ Kokkinakis says.

“I hadn’t really bought shorts for a while, I‘d been with Nike when I was young. I was injured for a while and I bet on myself in a way and I bought Cotton On shorts when I started back. Just a black plain short, a Kmart shirt that was $5 and would shrink when I washed it. I was still wearing pretty much Kmart shirts I had recycled until Cotton On came on board.

“They’ve done everything for me, tailor-made clothes, and they’ve been super easy to deal with. Hopefully we can continue the partnership for a long time.”

Kokkinakis started 2022 winning Adelaide and the Australian Open doubles title with his great mate Nick Kyrgios. He made the top 100 in singles and after he recovers from the exhaustion of a big year, he will regroup to focus on his next goal which is to crack the top 50.

“Depending how the Summer goes my ranking could take a hit, and I know what it takes to come back and I’m keen to do whatever it takes,’’ he says.

Kokkinakis takes a break from the tennis court. Picture: Ryan Brabazon

He has only recently traded up from recycled Kmart T-shirts. Picture: Ryan Brabazon

“I’ve got a lot of opportunities to improve and the ranking will take care of itself. I feel like if I played a bit more this year I could have cracked that top 50 but I played a lot of doubles so we’ll see.”

Singles is the focus but doubles has become a source of pure enjoyment. Kokkinakis and Kyrgios just set out to have some fun before realising they were quite adept as a team.

The frivolity and competitiveness during the Australian Open plays out on Netflix doco Break Point where you can clearly see the pair’s close understanding and mateship.

“In the past we weren’t that focused on winning, we were just mucking around and enjoying each others’ company,’’ Kokkinakis says.

“Obviously there’s a lot of good doubles players and it’s tricky, it can happen so fast and there’s a lot more random results in doubles.

“We’re definitely not the most traditional doubles combination out there. We play different and that caught a few people by surprise early on. I think when we play at our best we can beat anyone.”

Kokkinakis is certain that part of their success is due to being so alike yet so different.

“We’re definitely not the same person that’s for sure,’’ he says.

“I’d say I’m a bit more low key, bit more chilled and a bit more reserved. Nick has his moments like that, but he’s definitely a bit more brash on court, a bit more out there for sure.

“I try to calm him down at times and when I lose my head a little bit he does the same for me. Although he’s a pretty hectic operator at times he knows when to calm me as well.

“He’s one of the most competitive people I’ve met and he definitely likes to put on a show for the crowd. That’s why he’s got such a big following and why people love watching him. Whether he wins or loses they know they’re going to put on a show.”

Kyrgios didn’t join Kokkinakis and the other Aussies in the Davis Cup in November in Spain.

The team made the final under the guidance of Lleyton Hewitt but there was talk about Kyrgios’ absence.

His good friend says he would be welcomed back to the fold.

“I’d been out of the team for a while, I don’t think I’d played in seven or so years, it was a good reward for the summer I had,’’ Kokkinakis says.

Kokkinakis at the Adelaide International earlier this year. Picture: Getty

Kokkinakis and Kyrgios celebrate a doubles win. Picture: Michael Klein

“It’s good being around the boys, a different environment. Something I look forward to and try to make myself available for whenever I have the chance. I had a little sinus issue and surgery before the final so I didn’t feel 100 per cent but we’ve got a strong leader in Demon (De Minaur) playing.

“We tried our best, no doubt we’d love to have Nick. He’s a big part of our team and a hell of an asset to have. He didn’t want to play this time and hopefully next year he wants to play. He’s got to do what he thinks is best for him but we’d love to have him.

“There’s no issues there at all between Nick and Demon, Lleyton and Nick, or any of the team. He chose not to play this time and he had a few exhibition events he wanted to play, so we’ll see.”

Kokkinakis’ past year was highlighted by Davis Cup, a quarter-final in Geneva but he’s hoping for more joy at the grand slams.

“I’ve got to remember it’s a long year and maybe I ran out of gas to an extent,’’ he says.

“Last year it took a lot out of me mentally. So just knowing January is very important, we all hype it up, but there’s a long year ahead so I’m just trying to be ready for the longevity I guess.”