Australian Open: Roger Federer with a great gesture towards Thanasi Kokkinakis
The Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis , pursued by bad luck with injuries, celebrated his first victory in exactly 532 days on Tuesday - and received words of appreciation from 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer .
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Feb 09, 2021, 04:36 pm
Visibly touched, Thanasi Kokkinakis sat on the bench on Court 3 on Tuesday morning. In the first round, the Australian was on the verge of drawing a line under a long-standing lean period, shortly before defeating South Korean Kwon Soon-woo in three sets and thus his first Successful in an Australian Open main field since 2015.
But this was not the only dry spell that ended for the 24-year-old on Tuesday: Kokkinakis had been without a win on a professional level for a full 532 days before the duel with Soon-woo, as a wildcard he was able to get into the tournament now even finish in front of the home crowd - which moved the Australian to tears.
Thanasi Kokkinakis had repeatedly struggled with injuries in recent years, including serious back, knee, shoulder, groin and chest injuries that condemned the Australian to a role as a spectator. The first round match at the Australian Open was Kokkinakis' only second match since September 2019.
Accordingly, the 24-year-old presented himself after his success: "So much work behind the scenes and so much pain, just a huge relief. I'm just happy to be able to go out in front of the audience and on the pitch to be able to play ", News.com.au quoted the local hero.
Tears flow in the third movement
For his small emotional outburst towards the end of the third set - when the score was 5-0, Kokkinakis had tears in his eyes - the 24-year-old had a very simple explanation: "When the score was 5-0, I heard a massive roar, a massive cheer from the crowd and I started crying. It was a bit of a soft moment. I definitely got a bit emotional. "
The Australian was also touched by a reaction on social networks that was to follow a few moments after his comeback victory. Roger Federer himself congratulated Kokkinakis on Instagram: "Well done, Thanaser. Happy for you", wrote the Swiss and was promptly dubbed "King" by the 24-year-old Kokkinakis.
Kokkinakis now against Tsitsipas
At least in dealing with the current situation, the interruption of the ATP tour and the frequent changes in dates due to COVID-19, the Australian could have benefited from his past: "" I have been in this situation many, many times that I have a break had to put in, so I'm used to that to a certain extent. I feel like I know how to deal with this and I'm just looking forward to getting started. "
It continues for the current world number 267. against the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, who had underlined in his opening match against Gilles Simon that he should be counted among the favorites for the title Down Under.