"I thought he was playing the best tennis he could play.": Kokkinakis praises opening set and a half from Wawrinka in Roland Garros win

Thanasi Kokkinakis was involved in one of the matches of the 2023 Roland Garros on Wednesday, surviving an epic five-set encounter against former champion Stan Wawrinka to advance to the third round.

The Aussie tennis player overcame his Swiss opponent in a highly-anticipated match, battling back after being overwhelmed in the first set. However, Kokkinakis remained focused, displaying a steely resolve that saw him battle back to claim a 3-6 7-5 6-3 6-7(4) 6-3 victory.

“I knew Stan’s getting older, but the 1st set & a half, I thought he was playing the best tennis he could play," admitted Kokkinakis. "I just tried to hang in there… He never went away. It seemed like whenever he was down he was playing better tennis.”

After this marathon encounter, Kokkinakis will face 11th seed Karen Khachanov in the third round.