Thanasi Kokkinakis is one of the biggest names in Australian tennis and has a Grand Slam doubles title to his name.
Kokkinakis, 28, won the Australian Open doubles title with friend Nick Kyrgios in 2022, where the pair became the first all-Australian team to pick up the title in Melbourne since 1997.
Away from doubles, the Australian has had a mixed bag of results on the ATP Tour, often struggling with injuries during his now 13-year career.
Perhaps his greatest moment came back in 2018 when he took down the legendary Roger Federer in their one-and-only encounter in Miami.
2024 saw another breakthrough for Kokkinakis, who bested Arthur Rinderknech to win his first ATP singles title in Adelaide.
The Australian had another strong showing later in the year, when Kokkinakis beat Stefanos Tsitsipas at the US Open, this August.
His most memorable moment, however, may well have been one where he fell just short.
Thanasi Kokkinakis shared ‘special’ moment with Andy Murray after Australian Open defeat
Thanasi Kokkinakis lost in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open to Andy Murray, in five grueling sets, lasting over five and a half hours.
The Australian had led by two sets to love, but let the lead slip in painful fashion, as he explained on the Tennis Brothers YouTube channel.
“That was a rough one,” he said.
“I was playing great, felt really good, two sets to love up, a break up in the third, I got nervous.
“He started playing super aggressive, played to all hours of the night, an incredible match.”
After such a tough defeat, Kokkinakis went to cool down.
“That was a shattering match, finishing at four in the morning,” said Kokkinakis.
“I ended up getting a McFlurry from McDonalds a bit later.
“I ran into a few betters that bet for me to win, so I copped a bit of abuse at the front of the Maccas [McDonalds] line, which I wasn’t having.”
After that unfortunate experience, Kokkinakis shared a special moment with Murray in the locker room.
“Me and Andy [Murray] shared a pretty special moment in the locker room,” he said.
“He’d just finished his ice bath, I was like, I’m not recovering, because I’m not going to have another match for a while, so I was sitting there shattered.
“He hobbled over to me, he gave me a big hug and embrace, and that was a pretty special moment.”
What are the latest finishes in tennis history?
Kokkinakis and Murray’s marathon match at the Australian Open finished at 4:05 AM, one of the latest finishes in the history of the sport.
One of, but not the latest, however.
Top five latest finishes in tennis history
3:39 AM – 2024 Australian Open R2: Daniil Medvedev def. Emil Ruusuvuori
4:04 AM – 2019 Davis Cup: Sam Querrey/Jack Sock def. Simone Bolelli/Fabio Fognini
4:05 AM – 2023 Australian Open R2: Andy Murray def. Thanasi Kokkinakis
4:34 AM – 2008 Australian Open R3: Lleyton Hewitt def. Marcos Baghdatis
4:54 AM – 2022 Acapulco R1: Alexander Zverev def. Jenson Brooksby
It’s fairly clear to see that a late-night finish in Melbourne isn’t all too uncommon, but Zverev and Brooksby’s encounter in Mexico will take some beating.
Kokkinakis is set to return to action in a Challenger Tour event in Sydney on Tuesday.
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