Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis got himself into another sticky situation Tuesday at the U.S. Open.
Part of the much-ballyhooed tennis love triangle, the 19-year-old Kokkinakis petered out in his first-round match due to cramping in the fifth set of his Court 5 match against 12th-seeded Richard Gasquet. At times serving underhand because of cramps in his forearm, he retired trailing 2-0 in the fifth set after three hours of tennis.
Kokkinakis was innocently dragged into a messy situation a few weeks ago in Montreal. His buddy and Aussie doubles partner Nick Kyrgios taunted Stan Wawrinka on the court, alleging Kokkinakis “banged’’ his girlfriend Donna Vekic.
Kokkinakis said he has spoken with Wawrinka, and that he’s cleared the air with Kyrgios.
“I’m past it,’’ Kokkinakis said when asked if he’s angry at his compatriot. “We talked. It’s sorted out. It’s not really an issue for me at the moment. I’ve known him for ages. One little thing isn’t going to change that much. That’s not ideal what happened. I’ve talked to everyone in the incident. I’ve moved past it and I’m sure they will, too.’’
Kokkinakis and Kyrgios, tennis’ new bad boy, were supposed to play doubles at the Open, but got in their entry too late.
Kokkinakis hinted Wawrinka initiated the incident, but Kyrgios was the only one fined by the ATP.
“He was obviously frustrated [on the court],’’ Kokkinakis said. “He felt Stan was giving him something. I was watching the match, but I didn’t [hear it]. But then my Twitter blew up. He plays on a lot of emotions. But, yeah, he said some stuff I’m sure he regrets what he said. But it’s out of my control.’’
The cramps started when the 71st-ranked Kokkinakis was bouncing the ball before a serve and “I started to feel my forearm go. I’m like, oh no, this is bad. I want to hit a swinging volley and both my calves … it was a disaster.’’