"If he plays like that, I don't think he can lose; He just did everything perfect" - Thanasi Kokkinakis on Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon
Novak Djokovic is the 'man to beat' at Wimbledon who will probably not be beaten, believes Thanasi Kokkinakis. The Australian was quite emphatic in his praise for the 20-time Grand Slam champion after losing 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in their second-round match on Wednesday.
Djokovic went into high gear right from the first game, after which there was no looking back for the six-time Wimbledon champion. Speaking in his post-match press conference, Kokkinakis stated that the Serb cannot lose if he plays the rest of the tournament at the same level as he did on Wednesday. The Australian added that for his own sake, he hopes that Djokovic does not lose.
"If he plays like that, I don't think he can lose," Kokkinakis said after the match on Centre Court, adding, "And I hope he doesn't, because if there is someone capable of playing better tennis than Novak did today, that leaves me even further from the elite."
Third round bound 🇷🇸
@DjokerNole defeats Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in two hours on Centre Court
#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 https://t.co/o31o0XUvKq
The Australian player further spoke about the World No. 3's huge presence, terming him 'a wall' on the tennis court. As per Kokkinakis, the Serb's match awareness, anticipation skills, and movement were spot on during the match. The World No. 79 felt Djokovic's level of tennis was 'perfect' in every way.
"I hope he played to the maximum, because if he can turn up the intensity even more, I don't know where that leaves me. He just did everything perfect, he guessed all my shots and he was like a wall. Tactically, he ran me over," continued Kokkinakis.
"He's gone over me, it's like he's the only one playing today, it was frustrating," he added.
The three-time defending champion extended his winning streak at Wimbledon to 23 matches, courtesy of the second-round win. Kokkinakis went on to say that he tried to overwhelm the Serb with some shots at the start of the match, but Djokovic was too good for him on the day.
"It had been a long time since I faced someone who could play at this level. I tried to overwhelm with my first shot, but he responded very easily, he forced me to move around the court continuously, it was too good for me," the 26-year-old said.
Painting the Centre Court lines, @DjokerNole 🎨
#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 https://t.co/RJfA3wQSlg
Centre Court conditions favour Novak Djokovic's returning capabilities: Kokkinakis
The Australian also spoke about the unusual conditions on Centre Court in the first week of the tournament. He revealed that the court behaved very slowly during the match on Wednesday, working perfectly to the advantage of a great returner of serve like Novak Djokovic. The Centre Court conditions are usually quite fast at the start of the tournament before slowing down in the second week.
It's true that grass is not my favorite surface, it is difficult for me to move and also, the court is very slow which gives a great advantage to a memorable returner like Novak. It seemed impossible to make a winning shot, I did not feel that we were playing on a fast court," expressed Kokkinakis.
Djokovic won 40 of the 88 points played on Kokkinakis' serve, converting five of 13 break points. He was very solid on serve throughout the match, winning 82% of points on his first serve and an additional 62% of points behind his second serve. He hit 29 winners to just 14 unforced errors in three sets.
Novak on 🔝
@DjokerNole leads Thanasi Kokkinakis, 6-1, 6-4
#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 https://t.co/jNoo0yX3c0
The top seed will face fellow Serbian and 25th seed Miomir Kecmanovic in the third round on Friday, who won a tough four-setter against Alejandro Tabilo. The 20-time Grand Slam champion's victory on Wednesday was his 81st match win at Wimbledon. He is the only player in history to win at least 80 matches in all four Majors.