Thanasi Kokkinakis praises Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal for 'brutal' five-set Grand Slam success

Touching on the difficulty of Grand Slams, Thanasi Kokkinakis recently praised Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal for consistently succeeding in the tournaments.

Nadal and Djokovic have won 22 Majors each, with both jointly holding the men's record for most Slam titles. Their Big-3 compatriot Roger Federer trails them with 20 Slams to his name.

Kokkinakis, who is currently competing at the 2023 French Open, spoke about the 'brutal' nature of five-set matches and how the matches come around quickly as one progresses through the rounds.

"It's just crazy how guys like Djokovic and Nadal have won 20 of these. This stuff is so hard, to be honest. To try and win five sets is brutal. It's a pain, especially on clay. It's a massive relief, and then you're, like, shit, hang on, I have to go again in two days. I'm just going to swear. I'm sorry. It's me," he said, with a laugh, at a press conference.

"This stuff is so hard, so for people watching at home, it's like, oh, you should be able to do that or whatever. They don't understand how hard it is and how impressive these guys are," he added.

When asked how far he can go in such tournaments, Kokkinakis said that he was taking it one match at a time and not putting undue pressure on himself by overthinking.

"I'm not too sure, to be honest. I'm taking it one match at a time. I saw my draw. I knew it was tough. It doesn't get much easier from now. I don't know how good I can be or what I can do. I'm not trying to put a limit on myself, but what I do know is that I'm going to give myself every chance and see what I can get to," he opined.

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Thanasi Kokkinakis downs Stan Wawrinka, through to 2023 French Open 3R

Thanasi Kokkinakis in action at the 2023 French Open.

Thanasi Kokkinakis registered a marathon five-set win against former French Open champion Stan Wawrinka in the second round at the Paris Major on Wednesday, May 31. The Australian saw four match points saved but managed to cross the line with a 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-3 win in four hours and 38 minutes.

Earlier, Kokkinakis defeated Dan Evans comfortably in his opening match, winning 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

The Australian came into the tournament this year having not won a main draw match in Paris since 2015 when he reached the third round. Incidentally, he has never gone past the third round at any Major so far.

Thanasi Kokkinakis will be eyeing a maiden fourth-round appearance when he takes on Karen Khachanov on Friday, June 2.