'YES HE DID REALLY SAY THAT'

 "I didn't put a lot of scoreboard pressure on him, but when I'm playing on my terms I don't feel there are too many people that can go with me". 
Thanassi Kokkinakis after defeating World number 1 Roger Federer in Miami this week.

Tennis is a funny sport, played by all sorts of personalities and sometimes things are said in the heat of the moment when the blood is pumping through the veins, even after a match has finished.
Take for instance the above comment made by World number 175 Thanasi Kokkinakis after a monumental upset in Miami over the King, Mr Fed. Now for the record the Aussie has been as high as World number 69 in 2015 before injuries took him out of the sport for most of 2016.
It's fair to say that Thanasi was rather pumped after his win as anyone would be over the 'GOAT' but what he said after the match I find rather astounding. Let's look at it again;
"when I am playing on my terms I don't feel there are too many people that can go with me".
Well Fernando Verdasco 'went with' Thanasi in the very next round and took the Aussie out in three sets, just for the record.
World Tennis is full of unbelievable talent. In fact for every player ranked in the top 100 I would suggest that any of them could be beaten by each other on any given day as very little separates them technically, more so mentally. If a player is slightly 'off' in the mind then they are susceptible to a loss, no risk at all.
The top 100 are ridiculously good at playing tennis though the top 20 own a mind that should one day be donated to a laboratory for a Professor to dissect to see just what on earth gave them that mental edge.
I for one would buy a ticket to see the results first hand.
So back to Thanasi.
The young Aussie has a long way to go before he is mentioned in the same breath as some of the greats of the sport and he has a long way to go before his game really is the type that other players will struggle to 'go with'.
The win was a great win though he lost his next match to a 34 year old ranked 39 with just under 500 career singles wins to his name. I am sure the Spaniard thinks just the same as Thanasi, that his best is hard to beat. 
Nothing wrong with confidence however I believe that a player needs a few more wins under their belt before they start making big time statements about their ability.
Thanasi Kokkinakis, let's watch this space for the rest of the year. 
I for one hope he does well, I also hope he chooses his words a little more wisely in the future......