Thanasi Kokkinakis

[Mario]

Kwalifikacje Madrytu kolejnym miejscem wyznaczonym na powrót.

Pomijając fakt, że pewnie i tak nic z tego nie wyjdzie, to trochę nie rozumiem marnowania zamrożonego rankingu na występ w kwalach. On powinien grać CH albo nawet futuresy, łapać rytm, a nie odbijać się od ściany.

[Damian]

[DUN I LOVE]

W Bordeaux debel, ale w Lyonie już prawdopodobnie singiel dzięki PR.

[grzes430]

Nishikori subdues comeback kid Kokkinakis

Thanasi Kokkinakis had become tennis’s forgotten prospect with injury woes interrupting a blossoming career, but the young Australian reminded everyone just why he remains one of the game’s big hopes as he gave Kei Nishikori a proper examination before the Japanese prevailed in four absorbing sets on No.1 Court on Tuesday.

In only his second singles match in 18 months since surgery to his right shoulder, the 21-year-old played with remarkable conviction and little sign of ring rust for over three hours before Nishikori made his class tell decisively, eventually running out a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 winner.

http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/ ... E13Lwxi.99

[DUN I LOVE]

Rok i 9 miesięcy czekał Thanasi na zwycięstwo na poziomie ATP. Dziś w Den Bosh pokonał w 2 setach Miszę Jużnego.

[Del Fed]

Thanasi Kokkinakis: It feels great to be competing again

Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis has had to work hard on his comeback after injuring himself. The 21-year old missed the back end of 2015 and all of 2016 with shoulder and abdominal injuries. He beat seasoned campaigner from Russia - Mikhail Youzhny 6-4 7-5 in the First Round at Rosmalen.

Kokkinakis said he felt nervous while trying to overcome the Former Top-10, after so long without a singles win. "It was very tough to close it out," Kokkinakis said. "I didn't get off to a great start, but then came back and played pretty well.

I was up 6-4 4-2 and serving really well, but I knew it was going to be tough to keep serving that well the whole match. “He really started playing a lot better at the back end of the second set.

I got a bit tighter for sure. I hadn't served out a match in a long time. It was good to get those nerves out the way.” Kokkinakis said he is still dealing with getting his body right as Wimbledon approaches.

“It feels great to be competing again, there's only so long you can practise for. It's so frustrating being on the practice court for ages,” he said. “Physically I'm not 100 per cent, still got some things I need to sort out with my body.

I'm trying to manage it while I'm playing. That's the tough part.. I'm trying to get the matches in and that workload into my body.”

http://www.tennisworldusa.org/news/news ... ing-again/

Dziś niestety Australijczyk poległ już w R2 z Miedwiediewem.

[grzes430]

[Damian]

Queens Club 2017: największe zwycięstwo w karierze!

[WC] Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) d. [3] Milos Raonic (CAN) 7-6(5) 7-6(8)

[DUN I LOVE]

Do pięciu razy sztuka w meczach z zawodnikami Top-10 (1-4). 17-30 na przestrzeni całej kariery.

[Damian]

The Sweetest Feeling - Kokkinakis Claims Biggest Win

Spoiler:

Despite nerves, #NextGenATP Kokkinakis ousts Raonic
Enduring tough times undoubtedly makes life’s victories that much sweeter. Such was the case as World No. 698 Thanasi Kokkinakis roared in delight at ousting No. 6-ranked Milos Raonic 7-6(5), 7-6(8) on Tuesday in the first round of the Aegon Championships.
Few would have picked Kokkinakis to beat Raonic, the third seed, who reached the final of both this ATP World Tour 500 grass-court tournament and Wimbledon last year (l. to Murray both times). In fact, Kokkinakis won two fewer points in the contest than his Canadian opponent, and won only 19 per cent of his return points. But he prevailed in the points that mattered in the two tie-breaks to claim the biggest win of his career as his friend, Nick Kyrgios, cheered from the sidelines.
“It's huge. Best win of my career,” said Kokkinakis. “And to do it so soon after coming back from such a long layoff is a huge confidence booster for me. But every match is so different. Practice courts are so different to playing matches.
“I have been practising pretty good, and then [today] came out on the court and I'm nervous as anything. My first few forehands hit the back fence. I'm like, ‘Jeez, this is bad again.’ Luckily my serve helped me in it and I won the big points when it mattered, so it's huge.”
The 21-year-old Australian admitted he came close to quitting tennis as – in his words – an ‘absurd’ injury list left him sidelined for most of the past year. It’s been a long and testing road back and while he still isn’t injury free, the #NextGenATP player is hopeful the worst might be behind him.
“Obviously, the shoulder was the big one,” said Kokkinakis. “I tore my oblique, I had osteitis pubis, I tore my pec, I had an elbow issue, and I'm still dealing with my groin and shoulder issues, and my back is stiff. I've got a lot of things. I don't know how I'm going to feel when I'm over 30, but this is interesting.

“I was being serious [about quitting]. I'm usually not a hot head, but in practice a couple weeks leading into Roland Garros, I was just like breaking racquets every day and that's not me. I was just hating it. Winning and playing well in practice was good, but then I wasn't translating. I just didn't feel that confident. I felt like some of those issues I was having a long time were still there, and I just wasn't feeling great with my game.
“I have been pretty resilient during this time,” continued the Adelaide native, who was Top 70 before the injuries took hold. “My coach and family are a big part of that, especially Todd [Langman], who has been with me since I was nine.
“I'm just trying to enjoy it out there. That's the biggest thing for me. Obviously, a win like today helps. Again, I have shown my level in practice, but you want to win. Practice sucks. Winning a match, that actually means something. It's a good feeling.”
False starts have been the biggest source of frustration for Kokkinakis. It seemed as though the right-hander was ready to return to the ATP World Tour at the start of the year when he won the Brisbane doubles title with Jordan Thompson (who also claimed a top scalp as he dethroned Andy Murray at The Queen’s Club on Tuesday).
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Lucky Loser Thompson Shocks Murray In London
But it would be late May in Lyon before Kokkinakis stepped back onto the singles court. After a close contest with Kei Nishikori at Roland Garros, the Australian claimed the first win of his comeback last week in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
“I was trying to remain positive, and every week there was little glimpses, but the toughest part was when it looked like I was close to playing, something else would go wrong. That's been the toughest part for me,” said Kokkinakis.
“If I got told, ‘You're going to miss a year and then you'll be good to go,’ then maybe I could have gotten that mentally. But when it's four months and then something else happens and it's another couple of months back, that's sort of been the trend the past couple of years.”

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/kok ... 17-tuesday

[Lucas]

Kokkinakis Notches Career-Best Win

Spoiler:

On a day of upsets, #NextGenATP Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis pulled off the biggest win of his career on Tuesday, stunning World No. 6 and 2016 finalist Milos Raonic 7-6(5), 7-6(8) in the first round of the Aegon Championships in London.
The win is Kokkinakis' first Top 10 victory and should accelerate him down the comeback trail. The 21 year old has dealt with a barrage of injuries during the past two seasons. Last year, he played only one tour-level match after enduring shoulder surgery on 29 December 2015 and battling a pectoralis strain.
This season, after winning the Brisbane doubles title with countryman Jordan Thompson to start the year, Kokkinakis had to miss more than four months because of an abdominal strain. But Kokkinakis returned to tour-level singles action in Lyon last month and picked up his first tour-level singles win of the season last week at the Ricoh Open in s'-Hertogenbosch (d. Youzhny).
“It's huge. Best win of my career, and to do it so soon after coming back on [after] such a long layoff is a huge confidence booster for me,” Kokkinakis said. “My serve helped me in it, and then I won the big points when it mattered.”

The Next Gen ATP Finals hopeful looked healthy and played with confidence against Raonic, who lost only two grass-court matches last season, both to Andy Murray in title matches, The Queen's Club and Wimbledon. The right-handed Kokkinakis, who received a wild card into the main draw, belted 15 aces and saved all nine break points against the third-seeded Canadian.
Kokkinakis never saw a break point on Raonic's serve but the Adelaide native came through in both tie-breaks. The World No. 698 struck an inside-out backhand on his third match point to advance in just over two hours.
“Today I just didn't find my way,” Raonic said. “I had more opportunities than I felt I should have needed. I just wasn't efficient in those moments.”

In another big upset, Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, a finalist last week on the grass in Stuttgart, kept up his top form by knocking off second seed Stan Wawrinka 7-6(4), 7-5 in 91 minutes. “I knew that I was going to have another chance here this week at Queen's. It's a tournament that I love. Obviously it was not the best draw to play Stan, but I was confident after winning a lot of matches in Stuttgart that I could do well today,” Lopez said. “So I feel very pleased [with]... the way I played, it's very similar to the way I was playing last week.”
The 35-year-old left-hander hit 16 aces and saved both break points faced. A single break in the second set clinched it for Lopez. Wawrinka was playing in his first match since falling to Rafael Nadal in the Roland Garros final earlier this month.
“When you play Feli on grass, you know that it's going to be a tough match. He's playing with confidence from last week, making the final. We played each other a few times in the past,” Wawrinka said. “Today was a tough match. Really sad to have lost it. I think in general for the first match on grass, the game wasn't that bad. I was serving quite well. But again, there is still a lot of work to do physically and on my tennis, on my game, to be in a better place on grass.”
#NextGenATP American Stefan Kozlov also earned an upset to start his stay at The Queen's Club. The 19 year old improved to 2-1 against American Steve Johnson in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 victory.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/kok ... 17-tuesday

[Mario]

A brutally honest Thanasi Kokkinakis says it will take him a while to recover mentally from his limp display against Danill Medvedev at Queen’s Club.

Buoyed by his fantastic victory over Milos Raonic two days earlier, the South Australian looked a pale imitation as he crashed out 6-2 6-2 in less than an hour on Thursday.

Kokkinakis admitted he felt nervous and tight before the match and claimed he would have failed to beat a futures player in what he called the worst performance of his career.

“I don’t think I played this bad before ever,” Kokkinakis said.

“It’s tough obviously with a bit of expectation after getting my best-ever win last match.

“That’s tennis. You can be up one minute and the next minute feel very far down.”

The 21-year-old said his dismal showing had nothing to do with his fitness as he continues on the comeback trail after a injury-plagued 18 months, and made no excuses.

“I’d say it was probably 99 per cent mental,” he said.

“Yeah, I’m sore but that wasn’t the reason today. My body didn’t really hold me back.

“The way I played today, I don’t think I would have beaten a futures player … I just need to get better.

“I was just trying to loosen up my shoulders and play free. I couldn’t do it. Even in the warm-up I felt tight, so I thought, ‘This is not looking good’.

Kokkinakis will play some exhibition matches before Wimbledon starts on July 3 but said it’ll take some time to get over losing so badly to the world No.60 – for the second time in as many weeks.

“My serve and forehand are usually the things I rely on and even those were off with the fairies somewhere. I don’t know what it was,” he said.

“I couldn’t put a ball in the court. It was horrible.

“I’m dwelling on it big time.

“I wish I could put it to one side. As tennis players you have to have short-term memory but for me, this one is probably going to stick around for a while.”

https://www.sportsnews.com.au/tennis/ho ... xit/390212

[Damian]

Thompson/Kokkinakis Oust Former Wimbledon Champs

Spoiler:

Kubot/Melo, Dodig/Granollers prevail on Wednesday
Aussies Jordan Thompson and Thanasi Kokkinakis scored a big upset on Wednesday in the opening round of doubles action at Wimbledon, taking out ninth seeds and 2015 champions Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau 7-6(4), 7-6(4), 7-6(4).
There were no breaks of serve in the match, but Kokkinakis/Thompson hung tough to advance in two hours and 44 minutes. Next up for them are qualifiers Ariel Behar and Aliaksandr Bury or Marcus Daniell and Marcelo Demoliner.
Fourth seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo needed just 80 minutes to move past Wesley Koolhof and Matwe Middelkoop 6-4, 6-0, 6-3. Kubot/Melo are unbeaten on grass this year after winning titles at the Ricoh Open (d. Klaasen/Ram) and Gerry Weber Open (d. Zverev/Zverev). Awaiting them in the second round are Philipp Petzschner and Alexander Peya or Robin Haase and Dominic Inglot.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Murray Marches Through Brown At Wimbledon
Sixth seeds Ivan Dodig and Marcel Granollers opened their fortnight with a marathon 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-7(9), 6-7(4), 6-4 match over Jonathan Erlich and Treat Huey in four hours and 34 minutes. They have another tricky match ahead in the dangerous duo of Julien Benneteau and Vasek Pospisil. Benneteau was a runner-up here last year (w/Roger-Vasselin), while Pospisil took the title in 2014 (w/Sock).
Seventh seeds Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram had a far easier time, not facing a break point in their 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory against Marius Copil and Fernando Verdasco. Klaasen/Ram play the Indian duo of Purav Raja and Divij Sharan in the second round.
Other top teams to win first-round matches on Wednesday include tenth seeds and Roland Garros champions Ryan Harrison and Michael Venus, 12th seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, 13th seeds Fabrice Martin and Daniel Nestor, and 15th seeds Julio Peralta and Horacio Zeballos.
The other significant upset of the day came from another Aussie duo in Matt Reid and John-Patrick Smith, who took out 11th seeds Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-2, 6-4.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/tho ... ay-doubles

[Damian]

Kokkinakis Leads Aussie Trio Into Los Cabos Second Round

Spoiler:

Qualifiers Ebden and Santillan also progress
Thanasi Kokkinakis made the most of his Abierto Mexicano de Tenis Mifel wild card on Monday and claimed NextGenATP bragging honours in the process when he defeated Frances Tiafoe to reach the second round in Los Cabos. The 21-year-old Australian, on the long road back from a string of injuries, saved six set points to post his first match win on hard courts this season.
Neither player broke serve throughout as Kokkinakis prevailed with a 7-6(3), 7-6(10) upset of the No. 8 seed. In the all-NextGenATP showdown, Kokkinakis saved three of the set points while serving to stay in the second set at 5-6 before fending off a further three in a 22-point tie-break.
“Yeah it was tough. I think it was a very close match. We both had chances to win each sets. I had break points, but in the second set I think he had the better chance,” Kokkinakis said. “He had [set] point on his serve and then I played a very good point so yeah it was really close.”
After claiming the Brisbane International doubles title with countryman Jordan Thompson in January, it proved a stunted return from a tough 12 months for Kokkinakis, in which he contested just one singles match. He subsequently missed 18 weeks of the season with an abdominal strain and posted his first ATP World Tour match win in 21 months at ’s-Hertogenbosch over Mikhail Youzhny.
A win over the 19-year-old Tiafoe was a sure confidence boost. It was the pair’s first meeting.
“Any match for me at the moment after so much time out is very important so to get a win – doesn’t matter if it’s a good match or any ugly match – just to get those wins on the board is big for me,” Kokkinakis said. “I think the more I start playing, the more comfortable I’ll become on court.
“He’s a good player. He’s had a lot more matches than me even though he’s two years younger. I feel younger than him in tennis years.
“I think for me it’s about getting on court. He’s the No. 8 seed, he’s sixty-something in the world, so it was never going to be easy.”
Monday proved a successful outing for the Australians in Mexico as qualifiers Matt Ebden and Akira Santillan also advanced. Ebden took down American Dennis Novikov 1-6, 6-3, 6-3, while NextGenATP Player Santillan thumped Russia’s Konstantin Kravchuk 6-0, 6-1.
American Evan King continued an impressive day for qualifiers when he took down Mexican wild card Manual Sanchez 6-4, 6-4. It was his first ATP World Tour main draw match of the season. Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur ground out a 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3 result over Japan’s Taro Daniel.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/kok ... 017-monday

[Damian]

Los Cabos17: pierwszy ćwierćfinał ATP.

Fritz will take on #NextGenATP player Thanasi Kokkinakis in the last eight after the Aussie came through a tight match against Peter Polansky 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4). The 21 year old fought hard to advance in two hours and seven minutes, putting himself into his first ATP World Tour quarter-final.

[robpal]

Jest kolejny awans - tym razem do półfinału ATP w Los Cabos. pokaźny awans rankingowy czeka Australijczyka.

286 Matteo Viola - 177
287 Thanasi Kokkinakis - 175
288 Austin Krajicek - 175

[Damian]

"This week has been great," said Kokkinakis. "I obviously got through a couple of tough matches in the first two rounds, which is good to get through for the confidence, then I think I played my best match of the week today. It was neck and neck in the first set, but I was able to hang tough in the tie-break, then I opened up in the second set, got on top of him and was able to play a little more freely.

"It's going to be tough [against Berdych],” he added. We've practised a few times together and we get along pretty well off the court. It's obviously going to be a tough match. I'm going try and do what I do well and it should be a good match.

[DUN I LOVE]

Jest pierwszy zawodowy finał Australijczyka na szczeblu ATP. Zwycięstwo nad Berdychem w Meksyku to chyba najbardziej wartościowy pojedynczy sukces Thanasiego jak do tej pory. Tydzień marzenie.

217 Marc Polmans 236
218 Thanasi Kokkinakis 235
219 Laurynas Grigelis 235

[Damian]

#NextGenATP Kokkinakis Stuns Berdych For Maiden Final

Spoiler:

Aussie will face Querrey in final
#NextGenATP Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis continued his remarkable run this week by reaching his first ATP World Tour singles final on Friday at Abierto Mexicano de Tenis Mifel presentado por Cinemex, rallying to defeat top seed Tomas Berdych in Los Cabos 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4.
"I showed some glimpses of good tennis this year, so to do that consistently this week in Los Cabos means a lot," said Kokkinakis. "I've had great support from the fans here all week. I love it here and I'll definitely be coming back a few more times."
The 21 year old was sidelined from singles competition for 18 months with a laundry list of injuries, but returned to singles action this past May. In just his fourth tournament back, he defeated Milos Raonic at the Aegon Championships. Kokkinakis is currently No. 454 in the Emirates ATP Rankings after six tournaments, but will move to around No. 225 when the newest standings are released on Monday. A win in the final will put him around No. 165.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Nishikori Saves 3 M.P. To Survive #NextGenATP Paul
Berdych grabbed the lone break of the opening set at 4-3, but Kokkinakis regrouped in the second set by storming to a 6/2 lead in the tie-break before eventually forcing a decider. The Aussie led by 5-2 in the final set, but nerves began to take over trying to close out the match. He dropped his serve and squandered four match points, but ultimately regrouped to prevail in two hours and 18 minutes.
Kokkinakis celebrated the milestone moment by holding an impromptu autograph session to thank the fans in Los Cabos for their support all week.

Standing between Kokkinakis and the title is second seed Sam Querrey, who defeated Damir Dzumhur 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a match that ended well after midnight. Querrey is enjoying an outstanding run of form that recently saw him defeat World No. 1 Andy Murray to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals. The American has already enjoyed success in Mexico this year by defeating Rafael Nadal this past March in the Acapulco final.
"I'm going to move here," joked Querrey. "I really love this tournament and hope I can win both tournaments in Mexico this year."
Querrey won his lone FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting with Kokkinakis at the 2015 Mutua Madrid Open, but said the rising Aussie is a different player compared to the one he faced two years ago.
"He's obviously playing much better now. He's hitting his forehand big and played really well against Berdych," said Querrey. "He's playing loose and tournaments don't get any easier from here, so it's going to be a tough match."
Cabal/Huey Move Into Doubles Final
Second seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Treat Huey outlasted fourth seeds Purav Raja and Divij Sharan 3-6, 6-4, 10-7 to move into Saturday’s final. Cabal/Huey will take on Sergio Galdos and Roberto Maytin, who upset third seeds Marc Lopez and David Marrero 6-3, 2-6, 11-9.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/kok ... 017-friday

[Barty]

Los Cabos: pierwszy finał ATP.


firstpost.com

Thanasi Kokkinakis - przegrane finały (1):
2017 (1) Los Cabos