Thanasi Kokkinakis jokes in press conference after being confused for Nick Kyrgios at Australian Open

Thanasi Kokkinakis saw the funny side after being mistaken for fellow Australian Nick Kyrgios in a press conference.

Kokkinakis secured a second-round clash at the Australian Open against Andy Murray after completing victory over Fabio Fognini.

It only took Kokkinakis a few minutes to wrap up the win after leading 6-1 6-2 4-2 when the match was postponed overnight.

Perhaps that’s why he seemed to take it in good spirits when a reporter started a question by saying “hi Nick” during his post-match press conference.

“Wow, wow! That is a firing, that’s you done,” responded Kokkinakis with a smile on his face.

The reporter tried to explain himself but was shut down by the player.

“No, off you get. I’m going to can that,” said Kokkinakis, who later tweeted “taking the absolute p***” alongside a laughing emoji.

When another reporter asked a question and started by saying “Thanasi”, Kokkinakis said: “You’ve already done better.”

Kokkinakis is a close friend of Kyrgios and the pair won the doubles title together at the Australian Open last year.

Kyrgios, who pulled out of the 2023 Australian Open due to a knee injury, shared

– a mash-up of the pair’s names.

Kokkinakis will be back on court on Thursday to face Murray, who he described as a “ripper bloke”.

“Andy is someone I respect a great amount,” said the 26-year-old.

“He was someone when I came on to tour that was always willing to give some advice. We get along really well. I remember watching him when I was younger thinking this dude looks moody as hell, he looks miserable. Then when you got to know him, he is actually a ripper bloke and a good guy.

“It’s going to be a tough match, obviously. I watched a fair bit of his match against [Matteo] Berrettini and he played great. He is looking in good shape. I practised with him a fair bit recently.

“I’m just going to continue to play my game. He may have lost a little bit, but his anticipation is just as good as ever, and he can still play at the top with the best of them. I’m going to be ready for the best version of Murray.”

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