Jack Draper expects hostile Australian Open crowd against Thanasi Kokkinakis
Share:
Jack Draper expects a hostile crowd to bring the best out of him at the Australian Open. The British number one will face home favourite Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round at Melbourne Park on Wednesday, with the match scheduled in the night session on John Cain Arena.
Draper scraped through his first-round match against Argentina’s Mariano Navone in five sets, with the rust showing after disrupted preparations because of a hip injury that left him struggling to walk. “That’s definitely going to bring the best out of me,” he said to the PA news agency ahead of the Kokkinakis clash.
“I think it’s going to be a really good atmosphere. Whether the crowd’s with me or against me, I remember what it was like playing Futures (tournaments) with no one watching. That’s what I play for, to play in front of a lot of people and entertain.”.
Kokkinakis played one of the most memorable Australian Open matches of recent years against Andy Murray two years ago, with the Scot somehow clawing his way back from two sets down before winning a near six-hour contest at 4.05am. Draper has also had close contests against the 28-year-old, although never previously in Australia, but he will not be seeking his countryman’s advice, with Murray concentrating on his new job coaching Novak Djokovic.
