Novak Djokovic will end up being the "best to ever do it", says Thanasi Kokkinakis; maintains Serb's popularity in Australia is "massive"
Novak Djokovic's return to Australia in 2023 has already become the talking point of the season so far, with the Serb set to fight for his 10th Australian Open title later this month. Before that, the 21-time Grand Slam champion is warming up with the Adelaide International 1, where Thanasi Kokkinakis is the defending champion.
In addition to the Serb, the ATP 250 event boasts a very strong line-up this year, featuring the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Holger Rune, and others.
Speaking at his press conference ahead of the tournament, Kokkinakis touched upon the "Djokovic show" and the massive support he has received upon landing Down Under, stating that it was no surprise considering that he was likely to end up as the "best ever" to do it.
"Stats-wise and everything like that, [Novak Djokovic] will probably end up being the best to ever do it, at least in the short-term anyway. He's got crazy fans. The Serbs love it and get behind him. He's got massive support Down Under, how well he's done in Australia, as well, at Aussie Open," Kokkinakis said.
The 26-year-old also gave his thoughts on the stacked line-up in Adelaide, commenting that there were a lot of players who were flying under the radar because of the Djokovic's presence, and expects a lot of competition from other top-10 players as well.
"Yeah, everywhere you look there's a top-10 guy hitting with a top-10 guy. It's almost like Medvedev is flying under the radar; Holger, who just won Paris Masters, is flying a bit under the radar; Felix, who had a massive back end of last year," Kokkinakis said. "There's hell of players wherever you look. Obviously it's going to be the Djokovic Show, but there's a lot of good players that are more than capable of winning this title."
As for the pressure that is on him to defend his title, Thanasi Kokkinakis admitted that it was huge, lamenting that fans did not understand how difficult it was to repeat a title run once again.
At the same time, the World No. 93 was happy to see the home fans flock to support him, adding that they gave him "the legs" to play in such a big competition.
"I guess there's pressure on because everyone is like, 'Oh, defending champ, are you going to do it again?' It's like, I don't think they realize how hard that is. That's my best tournament ever, and it's happened in I don't know how many years of tennis I've played, so it's not going to be like, 'Yeah, yeah, I'll defend it, no worries,'" Kokkinakis said.
"Djokovic is playing, best ever, one of the best ever. It's a crazy field. I always love the support when I come down here. It gives you legs to play, and I'll never forget those moments last year with the crowd getting behind me," he added.
"I don't think I've ever seen a 250 this strong" - Thanasi Kokkinakis on Adelaide line-up featuring Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, and others
Thanasi Kokkinakis is scheduled to take on Maxime Cressy in his opener at the 2023 Adelaide International 1, following which he will likely face sixth seed Jannik Sinner. Waiting down the line are Andrey Rublev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Novak Djokovic provided the seeds hold, an "absurd" line-up according to the Aussie.
Kokkinakis pointed out how this could very easily be a Masters 1000 line-up, commenting that it was even harder because of how early one had to play a top-ranked player.
"It's absurd. I don't think I've ever seen a 250 this strong. Holger is, what, 11 in the world and he's 5 seed? So for a 250 that's insane. This is strong for a 500 event, let alone a 250," Kokkinakis said. "It could be a Masters, and in some ways it's tougher because the draw is smaller, so it's almost you play a higher ranked player for the most part earlier on."
However, the 26-year-old promised to take it slow, adding that he did not want to think about how he would have to beat Top-30 players in every round if he wanted to defend his title by the end of the week.
"Yeah, I think I saw if I was to win the tournament or something, you'd have to beat someone 30, then 12, then 10, then 8, then 6 and 1 or something like that, so yeah one match at a time," Kokkinakis said.