More than seven years after being blown away in a one-sided Davis Cup semi-final, Thanasi Kokkinakis has declared himself “ready” for an additional blockbuster towards Andy Murray.
A 19-year-old Kokkinakis misplaced 3-6 0-6 3-6 to the then World No. 3 in Glasgow in a cup tie dominated by Murray, who launched Great Britain to its first Davis Cup ultimate in nearly 4 a long time.
After his straight-sets demolition of Italy’s Fabio Fognini, Kokkinakis mentioned Murray “handed it to me that day”.
“Yeah, it’s going to be a tough match. I’ve played him a while ago in Davis Cup. Yeah,
he definitely handed it to me that day, but I’m ready now. I feel good,” Kokkinakis instructed reporters.
“It’s going to be a tough match obviously. I watched a fair bit of his match against Berrettini, and he played great.
“He is looking in good shape. I practised with him a fair bit recently. Just going to continue to play my game.”
Kokkinakis mentioned whereas Murray is perhaps within the twilight of his profession, we might be cautious of the world No. 66 — who’s enjoying with a metallic hip.
“He may have lost a little bit, but his anticipation is just as good as ever, and he can still play at the top of the best of them,” he mentioned.
“I’m going to be ready for the best version of Murray, and, yeah, I’m going to go out there and play my game, play aggressive, and hopefully come out best.”
Kokkinakis attracted a vocal crowd throughout his victory over Fognini and mentioned he hoped the house assist would give him an edge.
“(I’ve) practised with him a lot, played with him a lot. It’s just going to come down to executing on the day.
“I’ve seen him a lot on TV, know him pretty well. Yeah, I don’t think it changes too much who I play, to be honest. If I play my game and I do that well, I give myself a chance.”
Originally revealed as Australian Open 2023: Thanasi Kokkinakis vs Andy Murray, Alex de Minaur vs Adrian Mannarino stay
