Thanasi Kokkinakis has arrived at the All England Club for 2015 where tonight the young gun will take on the Argentinian maestro and 24th seed Leonardo Mayer.
This should be a cracking encounter where we will see two completely diverse tennis styles battle in out at the opening round of the Championships for 2015.
Kokkinakis has had a pretty good year by both his standards and the public’s expectations. Clearly his magnificent victory against Bernard Tomic from two sets to love down is a highlight he and Australia will never forget. This performance along with an exceptional win over Ernest Gulbis in Melbourne, stand as two turning points in confirming the rise of this young sensation from Adelaide.
However this match (just like his draw), will be no walk in the park for Kokkinakis. Leonardo Mayer is veteran on the ATP Tour and has both exquisite and authentic stroke play.
2015 has been impressive in terms of results for the Argentine. A semi-final appearance at Sydney, a quarterfinal appearance at Sao Paulo and a final appearance at Nice, shows the consistency within this man’s game proved by his career high ranking of 21.
Therefore this encounter will test the young Australian both physically and mentally. To make matters worse, the Argentine made it to the round of 16 at Wimbledon last year, his best ever grand slam result.
Tactics:
In order for Kokkinakis to win this match he must serve exceptionally well and apply the pressure back onto Mayer. On Grass, Mayer wins just 23% of first serve return points and 46% of second serve return points.
This establishes the fact that under pressure Mayer has a weak returning game that needs to be exploited by Kokkinakis by simply applying a high first serve percentage rate. Mayer also struggles to convert break points on grass (37% conversion rate).
However the most fascinating stat of this match-up is that Mayer wins just 13 per cent of his returning games. In theory, this should allow Kokkinakis to settle into the contest and possibly exploit the Argentine on his own service.
In terms of entertainment, this should be a great spectacle. Both players serve very well and move impressively across the court. As a result we should see some enthralling rallies filled with both finesse and power.
Prediction:
Kokkinakis is a real chance in this match. Mayer should go in favourite due to his fantastic 2015 season and his overall experience at Wimbledon.
Although after seeing Kokkinakis live many times this year, I feel as if this game will be a tight five setter in which the Aussie will pull through. Kokkinakis to win in the fifth yet again! Can he pull off another riveting victory?
Join us on The Roar from 8:30pm AEST for live scores of this match between Thanasi Kokkinakis and Leonardo Mayer.
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