If there is one thing that the world knows about South Australians, it’s that they love to get behind their sporting heroes.
Year after year, as Travis Head steps onto the Adelaide Oval for the annual test match, he receives a level of adulation that few cricketers receive, even those playing at home. As he scored his hundred at the ground just a few months ago, the roar was deafening, eclipsed only by the boos for Indian fast bowler Mohammad Siraj who dared to give him an impassioned send-off.
Yet, even this only pales in comparison to the love that Thanasi Kokkinakis receives when he returns to his hometown every year for the Adelaide International, held the week before the Australian Open. The timing tends to mean that the biggest stars don’t enter the tournament, preferring to practice in Melbourne and acclimatise to the Grand Slam conditions. But it matters little to the tens of thousands of spectators who attend the event, who pay tickets primarily to see one man.
Kokkinakis was the first person announced to be playing the tournament by Tennis Australia, and, for those arriving in Adelaide, is the player who adorns every billboard around the airport and the city, an honour usually not afforded to a player ranked outside of the world’s top-50.
As the time approaches 6:30pm, when Kokkinakis is set to take to the court, the vast majority of the crowd already take their seats. This is rare for tennis matches, where swathes of the audience generally take time to find their seats, check out the outside courts and grab food and drinks, but this crowd does not want to miss a second of the Adelaidian’s show.
As Kokkinakis is introduced by the on-court announcer, an anticipatory rumble goes through the air, which turns into an unadulterated cheer as he emerges into view.
His Argentinean opponent for the match, Tomás Martín Etcheverry, is no slouch, ranked No.39 in the world, and is more than happy to play the villain in front of a respectful yet partisan crowd. With Etcheverry having a grinding play style, honed upon South American clay, the match promises an interesting contrast of styles, with Kokkinakis being known for his aggressive baseline game.
The match begins slowly, with both players taking a while to find their rhythm. Etcheverry has more opportunities, taking advantage of errors from the aggressive Kokkinakis, but fails to convert any of them, with the crowd roaring behind Kokkinakis as he fends off the pressure of the Argentine.
As the first set seems destined for a tiebreak, Kokkinakis makes his move. His down-the-line forehand is a curiosity among top professional tennis players, in some ways resembling a back-foot cut shot in cricket, where the player uses the weight of their back leg to generate power. Here, Kokkinakis steps behind the ball rather than into it, exerting phenomenal power through his shoulder to unleash the most spectacular winners. It is this shot that the audience has been waiting for and is on full show as he sets up set points against the Argentine’s serve.
By this point, there is barely a spare seat in the audience, as even the seats with views obscured by the unusual stands at Memorial Drive are filled to the brim. And, they are ravenous, decked out in a pastiche of Australian and South Australian shirts, ready to cheer the man over the finish line. Sensing the occasion, they roar behind their hometown hero and Kokkinakis, as if on cue, converts a break point for the first time in the match to secure the first set. Pandemonium ensues.
As the match moves into a second set, few leave their seats. The quality remains high, with Kokkinakis taking control of most rallies. But both Kokkinakis and Etcheverry have a penchant for lengthy matches, and from a dominant position in his service game towards the tail-end of the set, Kokkinakis falters and Etcheverry pounces. one set all.
At this point, it is clear that Kokkinakis is beginning to fade physically. Having pulled out of the tournament in Brisbane the week prior, he simply does not have the reps to compete in such a physical match yet and is feeling his shoulder, which kept him out of the game through many of his formative professional years, after almost every point.
Etcheverry is only growing stronger and, as the better player, should really win from this point. It is a situation he has been in many times before, and generally, he comes out on top.
Yet, game after game, he fights his way through, and the crowd, sensing that their man needs a lift, gets behind him more and more. After staving off a challenging service game, Kokkinakis gestures to the crowd, asking for more energy, and they duly oblige. The Adelaide stadium is unusually stratified, with lines of hospitality seats adorning the sidelines of the court while general admission seating falls behind the baselines, but, in this moment, they all cheer as one, forming a cacophony of cheers to will on their man.
As the match clock strikes three hours, a third set tiebreak looms. With crowd in tow, this is where Kokkinakis comes into his own. For all the outward noise, he looks within, finding every ounce of strength to conjure some heavy groundstrokes that fly just past Etcheverry to take the lead. The Argentine threatens to fight back, but Kokkinakis holds his ground to bring up match points on his opponent’s serve.
Etcheverry saves the first with a confident approach, as Kokkinakis attempts a passing shot that brushes and then rolls along the net tape before falling back onto his side of the net. The crowd groans and then is silent, wondering if that will prove to be the fatal blow.
On the second match point, Etcheverry hits another first serve, with Kokkinakis losing the early advantage. The Argentine peppers the Australian’s less favoured backhand corner, with Kokkinakis only just managing to hang in the point with shallow slices. The crowd gasps with every hit, thinking the chance might be gone. And then, against the run of the rally, Etcheverry frames a forehand, and the match is over. Kokkinakis has won, and the party in Adelaide begins.
Exhausted from the match, Kokkinakis cannot muster much of a celebration. But he turns and points to the crowd tellingly, with a look mixed with weariness and gratitude plastered across his face.
"I don’t know if I would’ve done it without you," he says to the crowd in the post-match interview.
In the end, the fight proves too much, as Kokkinakis has no choice but to withdraw from the tournament with a worsening shoulder the next day. But he has already left his mark on the crowd and the tournament, providing an atmosphere of patriotism, pride and celebration that few other tennis stadiums in the world can eclipse.
Of course, every country gets behind its players, but there is something particularly guttural about the support that a true local hero receives. For Kokkinakis, it is something he cherishes all through the year.
"It’s why I play. It gives me goosebumps," he told reporters after the match. "It gives me purpose and a 'why' to why I’m playing and why I work so hard. [Missing this atmosphere] is definitely something I’ll be sad about when I retire."
While retirement may be a while away for Kokkinakis, there may not be a greater joy for him than playing in Adelaide for the rest of his career. Yet, even if this were to be the apex for a player known for having untold potential and a torrent of injuries, he has left a legacy that few players can.
In every match he plays at The Drive, he leaves an indelible mark on the tournament and, without a doubt, upon everyone who has the pleasure of experiencing the ephemeral energy of Kokkinakis in Adelaide.
Brighton Sports is the one-stop shop for all things tennis and squash in Melbourne's Bayside region. Leading brands supported by expert knowledge and a business that puts back into the tennis community. Visit: www.brightonsports.com.au
Comments