ADELAIDE INTERNATIONAL

January 1, 2023

Thanasi Kokkinakis

Press Conference

Q. Can you clarify, first of all, obviously you won the Adelaide 2 last year, so you're not defending this week, are you?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: No.

Q. You're defending next week?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah.

Q. Obviously brilliant win last year, but the flipside was it was -- I watched the Marin Cilic match, and that was just exhausting watching you. Clearly that took a toll mentally, physically, emotionally on you. How do you get around that for this year in terms of doing as well as you can here in your hometown but then obviously trying to be in your best form for the AO?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah, that was obviously the tricky one last year. That was the semi, and then I played the final, which was almost just as long, as well, after that. I felt like I had a marathon almost every match in that second week. Yeah, I felt like I played almost nine or ten matches in sort of one more day, maybe 11 days or something like that.

It was pretty full on coming into Aussie, but yeah, I wouldn't change it any other way.

I try and do as well as I can in every tournament and then worry about the week after.

It was a blessing and a curse. Obviously it was my greatest week on tour and an incredible moment. Even though I lost and was pretty cooked for AO, I still wouldn't have changed it.

But yeah, I'm going to try and do as well as I can and see whatever happens.

Q. Obviously you did recover at the AO in terms of the doubles, but it took a few days.

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah.

Q. Are you playing doubles this year with Nick?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah, yeah, we'll be playing at Aussie. Doubles is a lot less taxing on the body, and mentally it's a bit easier, as well, not having to back up and worry about the singles and just getting back out there so soon.

Yeah, we'll be playing. Obviously singles is our priority, but yeah, I think it would be rude not to go out there and have fun with it.

Q. It seemed to me and to everyone that the pair of you basically reinvented not just the way doubles was played but how it was watched, as well, by the crowd. There was a mass involvement that we haven't really seen before. What sort of reaction have you had over the past year? Have you had much negative feedback, or has it all been people saying, yeah, this is fantastic?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: I mean, you're always going to have people that don't like you. It's part of it.

A lot of times even if nothing happens, people will read an article or read one headline and just lump you in and just call you a brat for no reason, even though you haven't done anything. It's pretty funny, but you can't pay too much attention to that. It's just part of it.

Yeah, the general feedback has been super popular. People loved it. The atmosphere was unbelievable, and hopefully we can give something like that to cheer about again. Win or lose, we know we're going to have a good crowd, and that was our goal last year. Our goal last year wasn't to win the tournament, it was just something that happened and gained legs.

But we just wanted to enjoy ourselves out there and have fun. We're mates first of all, and that's why we play doubles. We don't play it because we're like, we can win this thing and we're our best combination. We just play because we get along well, we have fun, and we know the crowd loves it.

Q. Obviously people are going to be saying to you, are you going to win it again this year, but it seems to me it's a stress reliever of sorts to play doubles, as well. Is that fair comment?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah, definitely. I mean, they were saying that last year after every round, and I was just telling them, we'll probably get bounced next round to some good doubles team.

These guys are good, and doubles can happen so quickly. Like you can be almost the better team and just a couple unlucky points -- even singles, the margins are so small that wins and losses, there's not a lot in it a lot of the time.

Anything can happen, but we're going to go out there, have a crack. I know when we play our best, we've definitely got a chance to beat anyone, so we'll see.

Yeah, doubles isn't our focus. We try and do what we can on the singles court first, and then yeah, hopefully have some fun with the doubles.

Q. On singles you've Maxime Cressy first up. You've played twice, haven't you, I think Wimbledon quallies and California.

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah.

Q. What are your thoughts there?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah, it's going to be tricky. He obviously improved a lot the last year. Had a great start to the year, as well. Big server on the quick court inside. It's going to be tricky. Both of us serve well, and he makes it tough for the opponent. I can't get into too much rhythm. He doesn't let you; he kind of comes in and blankets the net really well.

It's going to be a tricky match. Again, hopefully there's not going to be a lot of points in it, just going to try win the important ones, try and be sharp on return and take care of my serve and see what happens.

Q. It's an extraordinary draw; if the winner --

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah, it's crazy.

Q. Jannik Sinner and then it just goes on from there. I think Novak said on Thursday it was more like a 500 or 1000. Are they the players' thoughts in general?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah, it's absurd. I don't think I've ever seen a 250 this strong. Holger is, what, 11 in the world and he's 5 seed? So for a 250 that's insane. This is strong for a 500 event, let alone a 250. It could be a Masters, and in some ways it's tougher because the draw is smaller, so it's almost you play a higher ranked player for the most part earlier on.

Yeah, I think I saw if I was to win the tournament or something, you'd have to beat someone 30, then 12, then 10, then 8, then 6 and 1 or something like that, so yeah one match at a time.

Q. Adelaide in many ways, this is where it's at for these two weeks. You've got United Cup, but I would say the strength of player here is way better. Is that fair comment?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Obviously you're going to get great players, as well, playing United Cup, as well. There's a lot of good players playing that. But I would say top to bottom and competitive wise, this is definitely, definitely the peak of the Aussie summer for sure.

Q. Do you know if Nick is coming across to Adelaide next week? Have you heard anything?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: I'm not sure. I'm not too sure. I don't want to create a headline or anything like that, but yeah, I don't know yet.

Q. It's probably mostly been asked, but I guess the strength of the draw here, perfect lead-in to the Open, I suppose. You can't ask for a better run into it than what's on show here.

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah, it's obviously tough in regards to me defending my points from last year. I've got a big chunk coming in these two weeks. Again, I didn't play much sort of the back end of last year or the mid part, so I've got a lot of time to get those points back and do even better.

Again, you want to test yourself against the best. Yeah, there's a hell of a field these two weeks. You kind of know where your game is at in the two weeks, and that way kind of coming into Aussie Open hopefully there are no shocks or no surprises. You kind of know where your level is at, where your game is at or where you need to get to, so it'll be a good challenge.

Q. You spoke a little bit about feeling a bit burnt out towards the end of last year. How are you feeling physically, mentally? Everyone talks about New Year goals, et cetera, but how are you feeling moving into this year?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah, I feel all right now. It was a real quick turnaround obviously finishing Davis Cup the last sort of week of November. Had a little surgery, sinus surgery sort of back end of last year, as well, which hindered me a little bit, but I feel good. I'm ready to go.

The tennis tour is tough, especially for Australians. I think that's been pretty well-documented.

Last year was my first year on tour in a long time traveling, playing week in, week out, and I struggled with that. I struggle seeing guys and they're just playing every week and hungry and hungry every week, and to get my ranking up, that's where I need to get to, and that's the mentality I need, which I haven't quite had yet.

I want to focus on that this year, but I feel good. I've spent the last couple of days sort of freshening up a little bit, and I feel ready to go.

Q. Jannik said yesterday Adelaide needs to get behind you, but it must be nice to be back home and getting to play here, particularly the memories from last year, as well?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah, definitely. That was part of the reason almost I felt a little bit burnt out. I had such a whirlwind of a summer last year coming back from where I've come from the last sort of four or five years to kind of come full circle and reach my career high, sort of seven years in sort of a space. I don't know if that's ever been done before.

I had a massive mental sort of lull after that. I was just like, I kind of achieved what I wanted to at that point after, and I didn't think that would be possible a few years ago, looking where I was.

We'll see. We'll see how it goes.

Q. Is the pressure on or off for you this week?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Oh, both ways. I guess there's pressure on because everyone is like, Oh, defending champ, are you going to do it again? It's like, I don't think they realize how hard that is. That's my best tournament ever, and it's happened in I don't know how many years of tennis I've played, so it's not going to be like, Yeah, yeah, I'll defend it, no worries.

Djokovic is playing, best ever, one of the best ever. It's a crazy field.

I always love the support when I come down here. It gives you legs to play, and I'll never forget those moments last year with the crowd getting behind me.

Q. We saw all these people, the outside courts empty yesterday, watched Novak hitting. Obviously you're the home favorite, but there's been a swell of support to have him here, as well. Have the other players noticed that? I feel like a lot of people are sort of flying under the radar a little bit because The Djokovic Show has rolled into town.

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: And for good reason. Stats-wise and everything like that, he'll probably end up being the best to ever do it, at least in the short-term anyway.

Yeah, it's no surprise. He's got crazy fans. The Serbs love it and get behind him. He's got massive support down under, how well he's done in Australia, as well, at Aussie Open.

Yeah, everywhere you look there's a top-10 guy hitting with a top-10 guy. It's almost like Medvedev is flying under the radar; Holger, who just won Paris Masters, is flying a bit under the radar; Felix, who had a massive back end of last year. There's hell of players wherever you look. Obviously it's going to be the Djokovic Show, but there's a lot of good players that are more than capable of winning this title.