‘I had steam coming out of my ears’: Kokkinakis torment in Draper defeat
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For the 10,000 fans who urged on the Australian, the five-set loss was emotional punishment for crowd and player alike. Australians love a winner but sometimes an exception can be made. Thanasi Kokkinakis added to his library of misery with one of the more painful losses Melbourne Park has witnessed.
![[Thanasi Kokkinakis embraces Jack Draper. ‘I think he said: “I hope you’re OK”’.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ed593b31eee067b6c876996889fe4d0063120ef2/889_143_3232_1939/master/3232.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Jack Draper’s 6-7 (3), 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory on Wednesday night over the Australian in four hours and 35 minutes on John Cain Arena was entertaining and intriguing, thanks to brilliant serves, remarkable stamina and precise, power hitting by both players.
But Kokkinakis’ evening of obvious physical pain from a pectoral injury and mental torment – culminating in a fluffed opportunity when serving for the match in the fourth set – would have elicited empathy from a rock. For the 10,000 fans who urged and encouraged the Australian right up until the final moments, it was emotional punishment. For Kokkinakis it was even worse. Afterwards, he said he was “not good”. That he was “pissed”. That he was “angry”. And that was just in the first 30 seconds of his press conference.
He had shared an embrace with Draper over the net at the match’s conclusion, but couldn’t remember what he was told. “I think he said: ‘I hope you’re OK’,” Kokkinakis recalled. “I was seething. I had steam coming out of my ears. Nothing against him, I just knew my future was looking bleak.”.
In the context of marathon defeats, the South Australian has had some practice. A decade ago the then-18-year-old posted an early marker at his second appearance at Melbourne Park, losing to countryman Sam Groth in five sets. Four years ago, fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas bested him again in five, ending the Australian’s determined comeback from a period of persistent injury.
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