ADELAIDE INTERNATIONAL

January 13, 2023

Thanasi Kokkinakis

Press Conference

Q. Your summing up of the match; there were so many tight moments. Where do you think it turned?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah, it's pretty frustrating. Starts like that, I don't deserve to lose I don't feel like, but that's tennis sometimes. He played a couple of important points better, created more opportunities. I served better. I returned better. Pretty much did everything better but take a breakpoint that I needed to.

Just is what it is. He was tough. He was tough on those breakpoints. He didn't give me much. He didn't make an error. The only break I took, I had to play a ridiculous shot to paint my line.

He's solid as a rock and didn't give away much. I created opportunities, I fought hard, but it wasn't meant to be today.

There was nine break points in that third set; that won't get it done.

Q. The fact that you weren't able to convert any of those breakpoints, does that frustration really linger for quite a while because you felt like you had those opportunities and not able to get through?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Definitely. I thought I did a good job regrouping all the time and giving myself more and more chances to take the breakpoint. I kept knocking on the door. He didn't give much away on a breakpoint, and he got a bit lucky on some, a couple balls I thought were going to miss for sure and he clipped the line on a couple.

Yeah, it just wasn't meant to be tonight, but if I keep competing like that, I'm going to give myself some good chances.

Q. You've spoken this week about being a little bit disappointed with your focus at times last year, you showed amazing focus against a guy you've described as a "brick wall." You must be really thrilled with what you were able to do from a mental standpoint.

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah, I fought my nuts off. I don't know. I tried as hard as I could. Sometimes that's sport; it's just not meant to be today. As I said, I looked at my stats and I couldn't believe it; 70 percent second serve points, 85 on first serve and better return stats. You don't lose usually like that, but I just couldn't get the important points.

It's frustrating. You don't really think of going back-to-back before the tournament starts, you just worry one match at a time, and I knew this one was going to be tough, but I kind of smelled the finish line a little bit, just wasn't able to take it, and yeah, he was clutch tonight.

Q. Disappointment, of course, obviously right now, but just your thoughts and feelings of a big two weeks here.

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah, I'm playing some good tennis. Obviously I would have loved to have at least made final or seen what I could do in the final. I played Quon before and it went well for me, but obviously he's doing well. Tennis is luck a lot of the time; he shouldn't be in the tournament and now he's in the final.

I don't know, that's just the way it works. He kept showing up, gave himself a chance.

Unfortunately the luck wasn't on my side today, but if I keep creating those opportunities, I'll make my own luck. But happy with my tennis. I'm playing at a good level. I'm beating a lot of good guys, and matching it with some of the best on tour. If I just keep this attitude and intensity, I think good results or some more good results aren't far away.

Q. Taking that further, how much confidence do these last couple of weeks give you going into the Open and the fact that you're actually not playing first day this time?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah, that was a blessing. Thank f*** I'm not on Monday, so hopefully I can use those days to an advantage. I need a day off tomorrow. It's hard playing every day. Again, I've had some battles against good players. Nothing is coming easy. Even the first set, for some reason I was flatter than I was in the second and third, so it's just tough to get yourself going again, a lot of late nights trying to regroup and go again, but I'll use my next few days wisely, get used to the conditions in Melbourne and give it a red hot crack there.

Q. Obviously you're looking forward to it, but are you able to just put that in words and the excitement of the first major of the year and coming up against Fognini?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah, it's going to be fun. It's going to be a crazy atmosphere. Last year on my singles court it was something I can't even describe; that was the biggest zoo I've ever felt. Hopefully it's a little more toned down. I don't know if it will be. I'll try and play on a different court, maybe a little bit bigger one where it feels like I don't have a fan up my ass pretty much for the whole match.

But yeah, it's a pretty intimate court, Show Court 3, so I'll try and get a little bit of a bigger one and just get used to the courts. I remember coming from here to Aussie Open last time, it was a lot slower, so it took a bit to get used to conditions, but now I've got a couple days, so hopefully I can acclimatize and play some good ball.

Q. You've had so many setbacks over the journeys and false dawns which have been scuppered due to injury. Do you feel like this is really the start of a new chapter for you?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: I hope so. I mean, last year I put myself in a good position at the start of the year, and I wasn't able to capitalize for the back sort of half of the year.

As I said, I mentioned it last interview or the one before, I think it's just hard. I find it tricky on tour. That's why I have so much respect for guys like Bautista Agut and these top guys because ranking rewards consistency, and you've just got to be there to show up every day. Even though I feel like I'm playing better tennis than last year, my ranking has taken a hit, and I'm somewhere around 150 now.

I've just got to be able to show up and play every day and keep that mental focus. If I'm where I was mentally this week for the rest of the year, I think I can do some good things.

Q. Thoughts on defending the title with Nick.

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: No, I don't think we will, to be honest (chuckling). We'll play, but if I told you I think we're going to defend the title, I'd be lying.

Q. Looking to have some fun, though?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah, for sure. That's why we play. It didn't change last year. We only thought about winning it, to be honest, pretty much in the quarters onwards when we were both out of singles. We're going to try and do as well as we can in singles. Doubles is a bonus. Hopefully our bodies hold up.

Yeah, doubles is definitely not the priority. I wasn't coming into this year thinking I've got to defend my doubles title. I wasn't expecting to achieve much in doubles. I don't feel like I need to do anything more in doubles. I want to build my singles career.

Q. Could be there for a good time, though, a long time?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yes, it's fair to say. That being said, we're not going to tank. If we get out there, we're going to play and try and do as well as we can, but yeah, I'm not chalking in a back-to-back just yet.

Q. Away from you and this match, before you went out, did you get a chance to see any of the Nick-Novak match at Rod Laver Arena --

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: I saw a few games.

Q. Do you have an opinion on some of the critical comments that have been made about that actually happening, when you saw the atmosphere and the fun and all that that was going on over there?

THANASI KOKKINAKIS: Yeah, I couldn't give two shits, to be honest. I mean, who cares; they're playing for charity. It's a little bit of fun. Yeah, who cares.

If they were both agreeing to it and it sold some tickets to a good cause, who cares. They're just two guys having a bit of fun and playing out there, and if it gives something for Melbournians to do, I don't see any negativity in that. Especially if Novak or Nick, and they think they're rivals, if they're willing to do it, who cares.