Thanasi Kokkinakis says that the first senior match with Nick Kyrgios will be ‘weird’
Thanasi Kokkinakis says that the first senior match with Nick Kyrgios will be ‘weird’: It will be the first time the two players will be meeting since contesting the Australian Open junior final back in 2013.
Kokkinakis revealed that he spoke to Kyrgios about the match with both men disappointed to be meeting in the first round.
“I was definitely surprised and then a little disappointed for sure. We wanted each other to do well and go on a run,” Kokkinakis told Eurosport.
“We were talking to each other and Nick was saying like, it’s annoying that this is a first round [match] because we could have played hopefully later if we had the right draw and could have made a good run, but it is what it is.”
“It is going to be fun. It will be interesting out there; he just said, let us have some fun and play some good tennis, and yeah, it will be interesting. I think the atmosphere will be good. It is a weird dynamic. We have not played each other since the juniors and that was weird as well. So now it is going to be probably a packed house, I do not know, it is going to be strange.”
Kokkinakis says that being drawn against each other in a Grand Slam did not change their relationship.
“We have not been avoiding each other that is for sure. We are talking all the time. Nothing is changed,” Kokkinakis said.
“We are still talking s*** to each other in the locker room, and sending each other random stuff on Instagram, so nothing is changed. I am sure when we get out on court… I do not actually know.”
“I do not actually know what it is going to be like when we get out there. But around the locker room and that… I think it is one of those things where two mates play, give it what they have on the court, and at the end, barring anything crazy on the court, I think we will grab a drink after and we will be fine.”
Kokkinakis expects chaos from Kyrgios and is a little bit relieved that he at least knows what to expect.
“My focus is s*** at the best of times. So at least I know with Nick what’s coming,” he added.
“He brings a circus with him wherever he plays and he lives in the chaos a little bit with how he plays his matches. He plays really well when he does that because he’s just more comfortable in that environment and that’s how he’s always been.
“I’ll just try and find what’s going to work best for me. I think he’s used to joking around and playing like that, but I don’t know. I don’t know how he’s going to come out in the match honestly.”
Kokkinakis stopped short of suggesting that he has some inside knowledge that would help him unlock the Kyrgios serve instead saying that if Novak Djokovic got aced again and again by him, then he might not stand much of a chance.
“I’ve been on the other end of it,” he chuckled.
“It’s definitely not easy to return. If he can serve however many aces he served against Djokovic at Wimbledon (in the final), and he couldn’t really find a read on it, then I don’t know. I do give the edge to Djokovic over me in the returning front.
“That’s definitely going to be the biggest hurdle.”
Read More: Nick Kyrgios speaks out amid Serena Williams drama at US Open