Aus Open: Thanasi Kokkinakis pushes Stefanos Tsitsipas in five-set epic
Thanasi Kokkinakis started the Australian Open gaining headlines for a $6 Kmart T-shirt but ended it with his career back on track. Here’s what he has planned next.
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Throughout his years of injury hell, one thing spurred Thanasi Kokkinakis more than anything else: a belief that he could not just get back on the court, but he could dominate on it.
Lesser people may have walked away had they been confronted by the seemingly endless run of tweaks, breaks, strains and hurdles. But at 24 Kokkinakis knows if he can put it all together, there’s still time for him to rattle the best in the world.
Already on his list of scalps are 20-time grand slam champion Roger Federer, current world No. 7 Alexander Zverev and then-world No. 6 Raonic.
But the most recent of those was Federer, at the 2018 Miami Open. But this week in Melbourne Kokkinakis, and his monster five-set defeat to fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, proved not just to himself but to everyone else on the men’s tour that he belongs at the top.
“These are the reasons why I believe I can still do it and why I have tried to come back so many times and keep giving myself a chance, because (Tsitsipas is) a hell of a player,” Kokkinakis said after his exit.
“He’s obviously got a bright future, and he’s top 5, 6 in the game right now. But reasons like that and matches like that are why I think if I can just keep getting in better shape physically and keep being able to play matches.
“There is no reason I can’t be where he is. That’s what I’m going for. I’ve got a long way to go, a lot of work to do, but I think today proved to me and a few other people that I have still got it in me.
“I’m going to try to use this as motivation and keep kicking forward.
“I’ve got that belief in myself. I just need my body to keep holding up.”
Following his first-round victory, Kokkinakis’ ranking will move up 31 places to be 236 in the world – a far cry from his career-high of 69 in 2015, but one he expects can rise rapidly this year if the COVID situation allows him to enter more tournaments.
A short-term plan of re-entering the world’s top 100 is modest, but Kokkinakis has far loftier goals for 2021 and beyond.
“For me every year if I’m healthy the ranking will take care of itself, so for me it’s to get a little bit fitter,” Kokkinakis added.
“I have shown I’ve got to do a little bit more work and get in a bit better shape to compete with these guys playing day in and day out with tournaments, so that’s my goal and stay healthy.
“Obviously my short-term goal is to be top 100 and go from there, because I think I can go a lot higher obviously than that.
“I’ll just keep grinding away. If I have to keep playing (qualifiers), I will do that.
“Definitely I think, as I said, I will prove I belong in main draws, and hopefully other people see that now too, and I can just keep pushing and have goods results, and hopefully I’m not talking to you about this question in 12 months’ time.”
TSITSIPAS TIPS KOKKINAKIS TO TROUBLE TENNIS ELITE
There’s still time for Thanasi Kokkinakis to become a problem for the tennis elite according to Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Tsitsipas had to “fight like a warrior” over four-and-a-half hours to end Kokkinakis’ Australian Open dreams on Thursday night, but walked away confident that the luckless Australian is primed to finally deliver on his remarkable potential after years of injury setbacks.
With Nick Kyrgios willing him on from the stands, Kokkinakis pushed the world No. 6 to the brink of defeat in the longest match of this year’s Australian Open, before succumbing in gripping five-setter – but not before proving he’s got what it takes to hang with the big dogs.
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“It’s not going to be fun for a lot of players playing against him — he’s going to give them a really hard time,” an exhausted Tsitsipas said of the potential of an injury-free Kokkinakis.
“It’s sad because he can do more, but the things he has struggled with have kept him behind and haven’t given him the opportunity to proceed and do great things in tennis.
“He’s capable of a lot of things. He played phenomenal tennis. He has a huge forehand, very good serve, all the potential is there.
“I really hope he stays injury-free, because it can be very frustrating. I have dealt with it, and I know it’s very difficult mentally to go through things like this.
“I just wish him good health and that he can compete an entire year without any pain or anything bothering him.”
The Greek star fell to his knees after the epic encounter – a mix of relief and ecstasy over a match in which he had to give everything.
After losing the first set, Tsitsipas turned up the intensity in a big way to rip through two sets and be on the brink of victory.
But Kokkinakis wasn’t done yet, stunning Tsitsipas in the fourth-set tie-break to force a deciding set.
“I fought like a lion. I fought like a real warrior out there, and it was an amazing ending with lots of emotion and great spirit,” Tsitsipas said. “A win is a win. A hard-fought win is even sweeter.”
Let’s go Kokk, huge fight #AusOpen
— Scott Pendlebury (@SP_10) February 11, 2021
By that reaction from Tsitsipas, you can see how good Kokkinakis played and will be in the coming years with games under his belt. What a match. #AO #AusOpen #Kokkinakis
— . (@flynno_22) February 11, 2021
Kokkinakis saved an incredible 17 break points – and a match point, too – to showcase his fighting spirit but it simply wasn’t enough as Tsitsipas made the most of an early break in the fifth to close out the marathon match.
Though it wasn’t completely smooth sailing for Tsitsipas, who was twice warned for time violations for sluggish serves and later was given a further warning for courtside coaching coming from his support team
Tsitsipas next faces Sweden’s Mikael Ymer in the third round.
DEMON EYES BIG OPPORTUNITY
The Demon has a look in his eyes.
After a “devastating” abdominal injury ruled Alex de Minaur out of last year’s Australian Open, the 21-year-old’s buzz word this year has been “focus”.
It’s not hard to see where that focus lies.
Having felt primed for last year’s first Grand Slam, de Minaur looks determined to make up for a lost opportunity and push deeper than ever into this year’s draw.
The 2020 US Open quarter-finalist had his best result at Melbourne Park in 2019 when he made the third-round of the Australian Open.
On Saturday, he will have a chance to go one better and secure a fourth-round berth when he does battle with 16th seed Italian Fabio Fognini.
“I’m trying to make 2021 everything 2020 wasn’t,” de Minaur said.
“I’m very happy where I am right now. I’m happy with the things I’m doing, how I’m feeling on court, and hopefully I can make up for 2020 in my eyes.”
The “focus” eyes from de Minaur were on full show during the third set of his match against Uruguay veteran Pablo Cuevas on Margaret Court Arena on Thursday night.
Having won the first two sets, de Minaur found himself in a spot of bother when Cuevas was 5-3 up and on serve to win the set.
The Australian stared down his opponent, broke serve and won four straight games to take the set and the match 6-3 6-3 7-5.
“I missed a couple of balls that I hadn’t probably missed in the whole match, and then I’m down a break in the third,” de Minaur said.
“It could have been prolonged to play a fourth set. I’m very happy I managed to bounce back straight away and not let it affect me and play some of my best tennis to turn it around and finish off in three sets.”
The competition’s 21st seed, de Minaur has never played Fognini.
But along with his friend Nick Kyrgios, the pair hold the hopes of a nation as the only Australian’s left standing in the men’s draw.
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