Not playing his home town tournament just one week before Australian Open 2024 begins was never remotely a thought, says South Australia’s Thanasis Kokkinakis.
“This is definitely one of the more enjoyable weeks for me,” said the personable 27-year-old shortly after being asked to pick out the names at the official ATP Adelaide International 250 singles draw on Saturday.
And fittingly it’s a mate, the Serb Dusan Lajovic ranked 13 places higher than the Aussie at world No.52 standing in the way of Kokkinakis, who notched up his sole ATP tour title to-date at Adelaide in January 2022.
That month, which saw back-to-back week-long ATP tournaments in Adelaide and where Kokkinakis also made the last four in week one, was simply overwhelming, he recalls.
“t was after the COVID year. I was away for nine months straight the year before, just playing in all sorts of places,”: said Kokkinakis.
“I didn’t know what to expect (here) and then made a semi in the first tournament. I was actually talking about not playing the second one because I was cooked after the first week.
“I hadn’t had that many matches at that level for a long time and my coaching team was just like, ‘just play the first match and see how you feel’. I ended up getting through it and having my best ever week on tour. Big thanks to them for telling me to play, but it was a crazy experience.
“I remember the semifinal against (Marin) Cilic. I was up 6-2 in the tiebreak then he won maybe five points straight and he got up match point. I was like ‘Oh no’, this could be one of the biggest chokes of all time. But luckily I pulled it together and it was probably the most emotional I’ve been on court. I’ll never forget that memory.”
The winning high, predictably perhaps, came at a price with Kokkinakis exiting the Australian Open in straight sets in round one two days later.
“Having the quick turnaround was not ideal, but I knew about it and I wouldn’t change it. If you would tell me I’d win Adelaide, I’d do it (again).
“Who knows how I would have done in the AO? I had a day off but round one (in Melbourne) was the craziest atmosphere I have ever walked onto on a a tennis court. It was like a soccer crowd in Europe, it was insane, I felt like the only thing left would be flares going off. It was a circus.”
“That’s what I admire about the top guys, when they win they have no real time to back it up or to celebrate it. Winning a tournament is like climbing a mountain, when you get there you are stoked, you want time off to reflect and then you have to play a match a couple of days later against an opponent who is hungrier than you probably and that makes it tough.”
Meanwhile, finding a way past the higher-ranked Lasovic this week is doable says Kokkinakis.
“He’s a good player, very solid on all surfaces, a hard worker. He’s going to give me nothing easy but I’ve got to play my game, play big and play aggressive and play with that energy and see how we go.
“Anyone can beat anyone at this level. There’s maybe upsets on paper but with individuals sports you never know how someone is feeling day-to-day, so I’m just going to prepare as well as I can. I’ve had a couple good training days and hopefully I play well when it matters.”
What Kokkinakis need not worry about this year at the Australian Open is the prospect of a near six hour marathon stretching long into the early hours as per his second-round loss to Andy Murray last year which came with a near sunrise, and very cold, 4am finish. Tournament organisers have added one full day to fit all matches into a more leisured timeframe, hence no more mega late finishes.
“It’s probably a good call for all the staff involved,” he said. “Even for the winner of that match, it absolutely messes you up for the next round. We had a war, it’s not easy recovering after that.”
The immediate aftermath last year too was unexpectedly volatile.
“I didn’t get to sleep until 8 or 9 am so I went for a walk. I was staying at the Crown Casino and I had a drunk guy come up and started swearing ‘What happened, you lost me all this money’. I think that was probably the last thing I needed at that time.”
A topsy turvy ranking (the current No.65 is his highest to-date and he is a wildcard beneficiary in Adelaide)) means that to access the biggest tournaments, stints in the qualifiers are frequently required. It is, absolutely, not a stigma says Kokkinakis.
“It’s tough but it’s part of it and it gives me complete control. I just have to win more matches and more points. I am definitely not above playing in qualifiers, Murray came back and play Challengers, (Andre) Agassi too.”
Mapping out tournaments across the globe that offer personal and professional satisfaction is a must.
“I go to places I like, where I think i can do well and that are going to help my ranking and get me into grand slams.”
The life of a tennis traveller though comes at a cost .
“I didn’t go home for a long time last year and that’s something I struggle with. I struggle with playing week in, week out all the time. it’s tough on the body and it’s tough on the mind.”
And so the big question after years of injuries and accompany comebacks.
Do you love tennis still?
“That’s what I’m wrestling with at the moment to be honest,” he says.
“There are times I love it for sure and times I can’t stand it but everyone with their profession has things they have to do every day. There’s probably guys who love it a lot more than me, that’s for sure.
“I love playing front of friends and family when the atmosphere and energy is good but there are a lot of times when I love being home and couldn’t think of anything worse than being on a tennis court.
“I wish tennis could play nine months a year and have more of an off season.”