"To stay motivated after all he has done and just keep wanting more shows Rafael Nadal's love of the game" - Thanasi Kokkinakis
Thanasi Kokkinakis recently lavished praise on Rafael Nadal, saying the Spaniard's hunger to keep playing even after achieving so much in his career is proof of his love for the game.
Speaking after his quarterfinal match against Aleksandar Vukic at the Adelaide International, the Australian hailed Nadal's resilience and competitiveness.
great start to the year continues. Kokkinakis 🇦🇺 great start to the year continues.
Defeats Vukic 🇦🇺 in 3 sets to reach semi finals in Adelaide for 2nd week in a row
Up to 11th in ATP Race!!! https://t.co/jdKaLdtkb3
"Rafael Nadal is so resilient. What he's been able to do over the years is nothing short of impressive," Kokkinakis said. "Just to stay motivated after all he's done, to just keep wanting more and wanting to play. It just shows the love of the game. He's one of the best competitors there is."
Kokkinakis also reminisced about his second-round match against Nadal at the 2014 Australian Open. Kokkinakis lost to the No. 1 seed 6-2, 6-4, 6-2, but the 25-year-old felt the scoreboard was not an accurate reflection of his performance on the day.
Kokkinakis chalked up the loss to a case of the Spaniard simply being a "way better player" than he was in his first-ever Grand Slam main-draw appearance.
"I thought I didn't do too bad honestly. I had like a little sniff here and there," Kokkinakis said. "Obviously he was the way better player. I had only a couple chances."
Thanasi Kokkinakis looks forward to facing Rafael Nadal once more
During the press conference, Kokkinakis also spoke about the 2019 US Open, where he was scheduled to play Rafael Nadal in the second round. Unfortunately, Kokkinakis had to pull out with an injury prior to the fixture.
The Australian admitted he was really looking forward to the encounter and was devastated at having to withdraw.
"I kind of re-tore my pec in that US Open [first round] match that I didn't realize," Kokkinakis said. "I would have played Rafa again on Arthur Ashe. I was pretty shattered I had to miss that."
Rafael Nadal draws American Marcos Giron in the first round of the Australian Open and could face Kokkinakis, the Aussie wild card, in round two
Kokkinakis will lock horns with the 20-time Grand Slam champion in the second round of the 2022 Australian Open if both players win their respective openers. The Australian remarked that he was only focused on his first-round encounter, but in the same breath admitted that he was excited by the prospect of having another shot at Nadal.
"I'll focus on here. I'm not looking past the qualifier. Obviously a lot of great players," Kokkinakis said. "It would be good if I could win and get another shot at Rafa."