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AEGON CHAMPIONSHIPSJune 17, 2015Thanasi KokkinakisLONDON, ENGLAND G. SIMON/T. Kokkinakis THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. You started that match on fire. What went wrong? THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah, it went all downhill from there. I don't know. I started playing really well. I was relaxed and free and played a couple of stupid points on my service game. That's when I really needed to put the foot down at 2‑Love, and, yeah, he started growing confidence and I started to get negative and started to get tighter with my shots and didn't feel like I was swinging freely at all. Yeah, played pretty average from 2‑Love. Q. How did you feel physically? Is the fatigue starting to catch up with you a bit? THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah, I was pretty tired when I woke up, a bit sore on my glutes and stuff, but I think that's just grass in general. Yeah, I was a little bit fatigued but my ball striking wasn't great, either. I'm not going to use that too much as an excuse. Q. How are you finding the grass? THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah, I liked it yesterday. Didn't like it so much today (smiling). Yeah, I felt good on it yesterday. Movement is the hardest part about it. Obviously different to clay. Comes through a lot quicker, so I've got to get prepared earlier, which is what I didn't do today. But, yeah, hopefully another week and a half before Wimbledon and I'll be ready to... Q. Where will you be playing next week? THANASI KOKKINAKIS: I will play the Boodles event. Q. Was the fourth game in the second set really the clutcher when you had the break point, a really long game, held, and he broke you in the next game? THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah, that was definitely a good chance for me. Even though I wasn't playing great, I still found that I was having a lot of ins on his serve, a lot of 30‑Alls, and I had that break point there, and I missed a forehand. My forehand wasn't on the whole match apart from the first two games. Then, yeah, again, I had a game point in the next game where he broke me and I had a set forehand again and I just dumped it. Yeah, I just wasn't feeling confident with my shots for some reason today. I felt bad for everyone watching, really. It was a bit disappointing. Q. Hence the tweet? THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yes, exactly. I felt like I had to say something. I felt like it was one of my poorest performances in a while. Q. Playing on centre court versus court 1, do you feel any different? THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Different from court 9 to centre court? Yeah, I don't know. It felt a little bit quicker, obviously more people watching. I was trying to impress them. Backfired on me. I don't know. Yeah, it's a bit different. It's a nice court to play on, though. But it's not too different. Same grass. Q. How big a difference would it be for you now going straight into the Grand Slams? THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah, it's big for me. I definitely don't want to play quallies the rest of my life. It's something I had to do and I'm happy I did it that way rather than playing all the challengers. Got used to the level, and that's how my coaching staff and team wanted me to do it. Glad I showed up to tough out a lot of quallies, and now I'm hopefully ready to make runs into the main draws. Q. How is your grandmother? Will her health have any bearing on your playing? THANASI KOKKINAKIS: I doubt I will go back again. She's still going for now. Yeah, we'll see. She's struggling, though. But, yeah, I came back to see her. Once I was home, there was not really anything else I could do. It's a bit of a waiting game, really, which is disappointing. You feel like you can't really do anything. That's what it is. She'd prefer me to go out and play and do what I do. Happy I got the win for her yesterday but today wasn't to be. Q. Between now and the start of The Championships, what do you feel you have to work on the most? Obviously you said your forehand let you down today, but overall, as you prepare, what's going to be the focus? THANASI KOKKINAKIS: I think the movement is a big part. That was the biggest difference for me. I don't know if it was here but it felt a bit slippery. I think a few people are slipping over. But that's just grass in general, and I've got to work out my footing a little bit better. That's going to be a big thing. If you can move well on grass, it helps a lot. Again, playing well, getting the first big shot in so I can dictate the points, I think that's going to be important going forward. Yeah, you don't want to play too many defensive rallies on grass. Q. You're still in doubles, yes? THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah. Q. How does that help you? THANASI KOKKINAKIS: I mean, a chance to kind of redeem myself hopefully after the match I played today. I'm going to look forward to it, go out there with a positive mindset. Work on everything that helps my serve, return, my volleys. Probably doubles helps your game on grass more than anything. So, yeah, it's a tough match but I'm looking forward to getting out there with Rusty. Q. (Question about his serve.) THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah, I don't think it was my serve. I think it was everything behind it. Because I wasn't feeling comfortable on my ground strokes, then I tried to go for more on my serve and I started double faulting a little bit. Yeah, it wasn't the serve that was the issue, even though it looks like that by the stats. It was more my groundies I felt was the issue. Q. Are you taking any interest in the rugby? THANASI KOKKINAKIS: No. No, I'm not a big rugby guy, sorry. I know it was on, but I'm not a huge fan. Q. (Question about Jeremy Clarkson.) THANASI KOKKINAKIS: I saw that. Got a bit distracted, actually. Oh, there he is from Top Gear. Again, disappointing performance in front of him (laughter). What can you do sometimes? Was the guy from One Direction here too? Q. Yeah. THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Shiza. Yeah, just got to be better than that, really. Yeah, I got distracted a little bit, but I looked over when I was down like a set and double break. I was like, Ah, this is rubbish. At least I saw some important faces in the crowd. That's good. Q. Surely you're not a One Direction fan? THANASI KOKKINAKIS: No, I mean, I have listened to a couple of songs but I wouldn't say I'm a die‑hard fan. Yeah, it's just a good effort really what they have done. That's all I've got to say. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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