Kokkinakis Looking To Forget 'Spanking' He Got From De Minaur In All-Aussie Clash In Atlanta
ATPWednesday, 26 July 2023 at 04:00
Updated at Monday, 28 April 2025 at 14:25
Thanasi Kokkinakis made a winning return at the Atlanta Open, beating Gael Monfils in three sets.
Monfils is one of the veterans of the sport, but he still has his qualities, which is why he was able to win the first set of this match 6-1. Kokkinakis won the second set of the match to force the decider in Atlanta.
The Australian eventually won the match 7-5 in the third-set tiebreak. It was a big battle between the players who are on a similar level right now, though Monfils wasted a great chance to win.
He was up 4-0 in the tie-break, and Kokkinakis himself admitted after the match that he thought it was pretty much over.
"At 0/4 I thought it was pretty much over... From there it's one point at a time. In a tie-break you can go down quickly and can come back quickly. I got a point on his serve and then two on mine and all of a sudden he's feeling the pressure."
"It was pretty stressful, especially in the first set, which wasn’t much fun He posed a lot of challenges and he is one of the quickest players on tour. I can’t get a ball by him most of the time."
Getting back to winning ways was important for Kokkinakis, who played in Granby last week. He's had a solid run so far this year, but also some very disappointing losses. There were some injury concerns as well, but he's looking solid right now.
His next opponent is fellow Australian Alex de Minaur, against whom he practised leading up to this event. Kokkinakis admitted he lost in practice, and he's looking to avoid that. Still, playing a good friend is always fun.
"Demon and I are good mates. We share Davis Cup together, we train a little bit together. He's a hell of a player and he's leading the way for us Aussies. He's the defending champion here in Atlanta so he obviously likes the conditions."
"I know it won't be easy. I practised with him the other day and he gave me a spanking. It should be a fun match."
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