ADELAIDE INTERNATIONAL

January 11, 2022

Thanasi Kokkinakis

Press Conference

T. KOKKINAKIS/B. Paire

6-4, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Very clinical second set. How did you feel?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah, it was good. I was pretty knackered after last week, a little bit in two minds about how to go about this week, whether I kind of freshen up and get ready for Melbourne or come here. My body was all right physically and another chance to play at home, to play a tour event. Yeah, couldn't pass that down.

Yeah, I'm just happy with the win.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How close did you come balancing that need for continuity versus the freshen up? How much have you learnt in regards to managing your body?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah, well, it was tough. It was more the sleep that was the tricky part for me kind of after last week. I played all these late matches, second on. When the adrenaline was pumping, I couldn't get to sleep till like 4 a.m. The night before Monfils, I actually didn't sleep a minute. I was buzzing. That was the hardest part to kind of get to this stage and recover well.

But the body felt all right physically. I didn't want to pass up another opportunity for a wild card, to play in my home city with this crowd. I know how rare playing tour events was for me last year. I thought if my body was all right, mentally I have to get to a point where I'm ready to play and go from there.

Q. We know Benoit is unpredictable, can be volatile. Is your tactical approach thinking he can be emotional, erratic, use that to your advantage if you stay in the zone?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: A little bit. You want to be focused regardless of who you're playing. I think when you know someone like Benoit and how he kind of plays, he can kind of turn it on at any time, then he can kind of go off at times.

Obviously he's got an unbelievably high top level when he's on. He has had some good results, especially back end of last year. I tried to take care of my serve. Usually where I'm the one going for winners and going for these big shots, against someone like that you might want to try to cut down unforced errors, be a bit more solid and a bit smarter.

Q. Talk about tactically the difference between how you approach John Isner and tonight's match?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah, I mean, it's tough to really have too many tactics against someone like John. The one tactic is try to break as much as you can. If you get a chance, which is few and far between, you have to try to take it, see what you can do.

Sometimes it feels like you're a passenger in matches sometimes. I have only played an exhibition match with him, but I practiced with him before.

Obviously I got to try to get in as many neutral rallies as possible. It is a lot easier said than done with someone like that.

Q. What do you want to get out of the week to come next Monday? Fine-tuning a couple things you want to get right?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Just try and approach every match with good intensity, go through my routines, warm up well, recover well. Everything. We had a lot of training back end of off-season. This is what you get ready for, matches. It's another tour event, another chance to see what I can do.

It's kind of a win-win now honestly for me this week. If I win, perfect, I am in the tournament, get another match here. If I lose, that's fine. I get to Melbourne and I can recover and play and hopefully get ready for my first round.

Yeah, for now for sure I'm going to try to do as well as I can here.

Q. Your take on Novak and everything that went down with him?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah, I don't know. I don't know enough about it. I don't know enough about it. I'm going to cut that one off. Sorry.

I've made a few comments in the past and gotten absolutely scolded for it. No bueno today.

Q. Your approach for this season, given how you're trying to feel like your body is under control, get back to where you used to be, what is your mindset like? Do you feel this is a completely new chapter in your career or a continuation?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: I don't know. Hopefully it's a new chapter. I think every year is a bit of a new chapter. Every year brings new challenges.

I think this is probably the best prepared I've been for a year. Who knows how the rest of the year is going to plan out. I couldn't be happier with the way it started.

Did a lot of work in the off season trying to get my body in a good shape to back up matches and play consistently, get some good wins again. I think it's shown so far.

I'm trying not to look too in the past. As I said, I've mentioned it many times, my career at the start hasn't kind of gone the way I think we would have all hoped. That's tennis, that's life. Sometimes it doesn't always go smoothly.

For me, I'm happy where I'm at at the moment. I've still got a lot of tennis left in me. Yeah, there are going to be some good weeks, some shitty weeks. For me, I'm just going to keep playing, doing as well as I can, making sure my body is in a good state to prepare for any match.

Q. There's been a lot of talk about mental health in sports in general. What got you through the toughest parts? Are you doing a lot of work with psychologists?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: I never saw one psychologist because I just feel like every case is so different. My family and people close to me were pretty much my psychologists. I tried to get out of my own head a little bit.

I mean, I'm not saying don't do it, but for me, I never took any medication or anything, saw any psychologist. For me, I was just relying on people close to me, people I trust, started doing a lot of things that I enjoy, put tennis aside a little bit, started having fun with life in general first, then when that came, I found my purpose again, then I started to kind of do the other thing I enjoy, which is play tennis, something to work hard for.

No, I never really spoke to anyone. I did early on, but I felt like it wasn't for me. I felt like my head was going in loops when I talked to them. I felt unless they'd done exactly what I did, then I couldn't really relate, so yeah.

Q. When you say you found your purpose again, how do you define 'your purpose' at the moment?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: At the moment it's playing tennis. That's what I kind of grew up doing.

For me, first of all, it was just being happy and doing things that I enjoy like catching up with mates from home, going to the beach, going out a little bit at night, watching my NBA. Those things I started doing over and over again. Played with my dog a little bit. I started to do those things, started to get enjoyment. When I was in a better head space, I felt like I'd enjoy my time on court a bit more.

Q. I get the sense that you're a Phoenix Suns fans.

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah, I've been following Chris Paul everywhere. I'm like the Rockets fan, I am a Rockets fan, but Chris Paul is my favorite. Until he retires, I'll be following him.

Q. What do you think of him?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: That I'll answer (smiling).

No, I love him. We had the same agency awhile ago with CAA. I was fortunate enough I think before -- it was like a junior US Open, the year I made the final of the junior US, I met him and saw him training. I feel bad for Ducks because I was supposed to warm him up for a match. I think I was a bit late because I was watching Chris Paul practice. He wasn't too happy with me after that for a while. Those opportunities I kind of got to take.

We used to keep in touch a little bit here and there. We still send each other like the odd message on DM, on Instagram. When he followed me, that was probably the happiest day of my life back then. I was pretty stoked back then.

Yeah, it's amazing to see what he's doing at this age, I think 36 now. To still be one of the best players in the league is pretty incredible. That's something you can take from as a tennis player, day in, day out, backing up. He's been at the top of the game for so long. It shows. I'm 25 now. With how things are going, hopefully I've got a lot of time left in the sport.