LONDON: In only his fourth competitive tournament of the year, injury-stricken Thanassi Kokkinakis has grabbed a fairytale 7-6(5), 7-6(8) win over third seed Milos Raonic at the Aegon Championships.
The two-hour tussle saw opportunities come and go for both players. Raonic, last year’s runner-up at the tournament, failed to convert a total of eight break points during the opening set. Meanwhile, Kokkinakis was unable to work his way to a single opportunity. Nevertheless, the Australian managed to grab the crucial lead in the tiebreaker to close it out 7-5.
Cheer on by team mate Nick Kyrgios in the crowd, Kokkinakis’ determination was flawless. Fighting hard for every point, he matched the world No.6 game-by-game. Besides the 692-place gap between the two in the world rankings, it was hard to separate them on the court. Raonic has the greater experience and longer period of health, but Kokkinakis had the desire and it was desire the elevated him to the straight sets triumph.
“It’s huge. Best win of my career. And to do it so soon after coming back on such a long layoff is a huge confidence booster for me.” Said Kokkinakis.
“I have been practicing pretty good, and then come 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 then I won the big points when it mattered, so it’s huge.”
Tuesday’s achievement comes after what has been a brutal 18-month period for Kokkinakis. Initially, it was a shoulder injury that halted his progression on the tour. During the one-and-a-half year struggle he also nursed issues with his abdomen, Groin, external oblique and elbow. At one point it all got too much for the Australian, who contemplated quitting the sport earlier this year.
“I was just like breaking racquets every day in practice 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.” He reflected about his previous difficulties.
Choosing to not give up, Kokkinakis has credited his resurgence to the support of his team. The most notable being Todd Langman, a coach he has seeked guidance from since the age of 9. Seconds after defeating Raonic, the Australian was seen lifting his hands in celebration. A moment he described as the ‘happiest he has ever felt’ after a three-set match.
Raonic leads the praise
Reflecting upon his loss, a down to earth Raonic was unsurprised by his opponents triumph. He is the highest ranked player to lose to the Australian on the ATP Tour at sixth in the world. The loss is a blow to the Canadian, who recently appointed doubles specialist Mark Knowles to guide him throughout the grass-court season this year.
“I practiced with him I guess before Istanbul, so shortly after Monte-Carlo. And to be frank, I was actually surprised when I saw his results that he wasn’t doing better, because he was hitting the ball well.” Raonic said about Kokkinakis.
“I knew he was still struggling a little bit playing consecutively with his arm, but he was hitting the ball extremely well at that point. I followed his draws over the last week, so no, I’m not surprised by his level by any means.”
Raonic’s high praise for the 21-year-old comes as he reflects upon his missed chance. Speaking about the nine break points he failed to convert, the Canadian admitted he ‘wasn’t efficient’ in the match and lacked discipline.
It is too early to tell if this win will elevate Kokkinakis back to the top more swiftly after his recent misfortunes. A two-time junior grand slam finalist, he has been ranked as high as 69th in the world prior to injury. Once a tennis prodigy, Raonic is dampening down the Kokkinakis hype with a realistic outlook. When questioned about if the Australian could potentially crack the top ten one day, the third seed provided a grounded response.
“The question of top 10 doesn’t depend on one guy. It depends possibly on 10 guys ahead of you or more.” Raonic explained. “Also depends on who else is there at that moment and what other players have to say. That’s not only dependent on the individual himself.”
Kokkinakis will play Nicolas Mahut or Daniil Medvedev in the second round.
