Thanasi Kokkinakis has detailed exactly how different Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are on a night out. The Australian tennis ace currently sits at a respectable 87th in the ATP singles rankings, yet to make it past the third round of a Grand Slam on his own.
At 28, the Adelaide native has shared the court with all-time great Federer on just one occasion – upsetting him in shocking fashion in the round of 64 at the 2018 ATP Masters 1000 in Miami. He has meanwhile met ‘King of Clay’ Nadal twice in his career, bested in the round of 64 at the 2014 Australian Open before giving the Spaniard a walkover at the US Open in 2019.
And while many tennis fans will have had heated debates over who was the better Federer and Nadal on the courts, with a combined 42 Grand Slam victories and three Olympic gold medals between them, Kokkinakis has gave his insight into who is the better company on a night out.
Reflecting on his career and brushing shoulders with some of tennis’ greatest stars, The Tennis Gazette recently quoted Kokkinakis as detailing who he has had the best experiences with during a night on the tiles. He explained: “I heard Rafa doesn’t mind a night out.
“I had one night out with him in Acapulco a while ago at the player’s party thing. I didn’t mind a tequila, obviously within reason within tournament. Fed’s is classy, so a wine or champagne.”
Kokkinakis also claimed that 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic would also be a hoot to go to town with, after seeing the Serbian’s festivities on social media after his Olympic gold medal win over Carlos Alcaraz this summer. He added: “I reckon Novak would be loose. I have seen some videos. I reckon Novak would be a fun night out.”
One of the highlights of Kokkinakis’ career thus far undoubtedly came in the form of his 2022 Australian Open championship win alongside fellow countryman, Nick Kyrgios. Nicknamed ‘The Special Ks’, Kokkinakis and Kyrgios dispatched of top seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic, as well as Ariel Behar and Gonzalo Escobar on their way to the quarter-finals.
They then bested Tim Putz and Michael Venus to advance to the semi-finals, where they met Marcel Grannolers and Horacio Zebballos – besting the pair to meet Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell in the tournament’s first all-Australian doubles final since 1980.
Kokkinakis and Kyrgios ultimately bested their fellow countrymen with scores of 7-5 and 6-4 in straight sets to be crowned champions of the event. As a result, Kokkinakis broke into the top 50 in the ATP’s doubles rankings, sitting pretty at 46th. However, the 28 year old is yet to replicate the same levels of success in the doubles game, failing to make it past the third-round of a major since.
