Who’s your favorite among the ‘Big 3’ in the tennis world? Well, this is also perhaps the most debatable topic in the racquet sport. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic have huge fan bases. So, picking one out of the three can easily draw a bit of hate and criticism from their crazy fandom. However, the Aussie tennis star, Thanasi Kokkinakis, recently dared to give a hint at his favorite while speaking about Federer and Djokovic. 

Thanasi Kokkinakis has grown up idolizing Marat Safin. However, when it came to picking one name out of the ‘Big 3’, well perhaps he always had a bit soft corner towards the classy ‘Swiss Maestro.’ In fact, interestingly, Kokkinakis had defeated Federer in the R64 of the 2018 Miami in three sets. What a moment it was for this 28-year-old Aussie! Recently, during a conversation with social media influencer, Mary Vitinaros at the UTS Tour, Thanasi Kokkinakis was spotted expressing his liking for Roger Federer.

In a viral video clip, Kokkinakis was spotted asking Vitinaros about her favorite player, and in reply to that she said, “I like a Classic Federer.” On hearing this, the Aussie tennis star replied, “Everyone loves Fed bar Novak.” Well, interestingly, Thanasi Kokkinakis doesn’t have many fond memories with the Serb! Djokovic had defeated him in both of their meetings previously. 

While drawing a comparison in the playing styles of the ‘Big 3’, he once said, “I’ve never seen him (Federer) sweat. He also had the biggest calves on the Tour, if he had shaved his legs, the game would be over. It looks like he’s not even trying. He’s making fun of you. At least Rafa screams when he plays, you can feel like he’s being dominated at a certain point; Nole slips, but Federer looks like he’s making fun of you while playing.” However, when asked to pick one among these three as the ideal partner for a good night out, he chose the Serb!

During a conversation with a fellow ATP pro, Felix Mischker, Kokkinakis revealed that he had one night out with Rafael Nadal in Acapulco. “I didn’t mind a tequila, obviously within reason within tournament. Fed’s is classy, so a wine or champagne.” However, while speaking about Novak Djokovic, he added, “I reckon Novak would be loose! I have seen some videos. I reckon Novak would be a fun night out.” Despite preferring one above the other for various conditions, we saw both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic congratulating Kokkinakis for winning his maiden title at the 2022 Adelaide 2 tournament.

Roger Federer even gave him a nickname at that time. The Swiss sent a personal message to the Aussie after his win against France’s Arthur Rinderknech. He wrote, “Maiden title at home big fella. Love the sound of that Thanaser. Amazing … Keep going.” Then Thanasi Kokkinakis shared his message on his IG story with the caption, “He’s still the (goat emoji).” Even Djokovic dropped a text on his inbox saying, “Congrats on your maiden title in home town, Thanasi. After all the hardship injuries have caused you, I am sure this feels even sweeter. You deserve it! Great for tennis – Good luck in Melbourne.” Despite, having these fond memories with these superstars of the racquet sport, Thanasi Kokkinakis recently got himself into a bit of trouble by commenting on Novak Djokovic’s crazy fan base!

Thanasi Kokkinakis takes a dig at Novak Djokovic fans

Previously, we heard American tennis legend, Andy Roddick, making an interesting comment on Novak Djokovic’s huge fan base. He stated that even after mentioning Novak Djokovic as the “greatest” time and again, he gets criticized when he makes anything other than glowing tributes about the Serb during his podcasts. Roddick said, “I’m so scared of Nole’s (Djokovic’s) Twitter people…I say something like he was breathing heavily and even though he was breathing heavily, they are like f– you! I just eat s— from them all the time.“

Now, even Thanasi Kokkinakis was spotted admitting that he’s a bit concerned by the venom of Novak Djokovic’s social media fans. During an interview on the UTS Tour, he said, “In tennis Twitter, if you like Djokovic, everyone has this little Lacoste emoji. They have this little crocodile. You know they are a Djokovic fan if they have that and they are just abusing you.” Considering all these, Kokkinakis suggested that upsetting Novak Djokovic is the worst mistake one can make on a tennis court.

In that same conversation, Thanasi Kokkinakis also spoke about how his perception of Djokovic was a bit different compared to the other two in the ‘Big 3’. “Federer was like really welcoming, especially like when you’re younger. Same as Rafa. But then Novak was like, F**k this guy doesn’t lose and just drinks juices all day,” he said. Share your thoughts on these observations from the Aussie star featuring the ‘Big 3’ in the tennis world.