Australian athletes and making it easy on the world sporting stage have rarely gone hand in hand, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. Fighting the underdog tag with a backs-against-the-wall mentality is the true Aussie DNA.
No one embodies the meaning of playing for the green and gold more than two-time Davis Cup champion Lleyton Hewitt. Representing your country just hits differently.
"We've got a bloody rich history in this competition over a number of years, well over 100 years, so these boys know it's a great honour every time you get the chance to wear the green and gold out here," Hewitt said after guiding Australia to victory against the USA.
That particular endeavour and work ethic has translated into a player like Alex de Minaur, who is every opponent’s worst nightmare.
In any scenario in which there is a talent discrepancy from an Australian perspective, more often than not, it's the determination and resolve that helps level the balance of power.
Thanasi Kokkinakis also bodes into that category as someone completely locked in when playing for his nation and during the biggest matches.
The world No.77 added to his long list of career upset wins, defeating former US Open semi-finalist Ben Shelton in three gripping sets to help Australia progress to the Davis Cup final four.
A quite extraordinary 30-point tiebreak in the deciding set epitomised the crazy rollercoaster that Kokkinakis has endured throughout his tennis journey, saving four match points in a performance that proved his resilience. He cares. He shows heart.
"I had full belief in him. I know the rest of the boys did too to go out there today," Hewitt said when referring to Kokkinakis' win over Shelton.
"He was hitting it a treat all week leading in. He got what he deserved. He put in a very tough training block for us to get that win today, which was bloody important."
When Alex de Minaur was forced on the sidelines for Australia's Davis Cup group stage phase in September, it was Kokkinakis' chance to once again prove why he is so often referred to as reliable - and so he did.
The 2014 Davis Cup debutant defeated world No.20 Arthur Fils, backing up his heroics days later to win another rubber for Australia against Czechia.
In his singles career on the ATP Tour, that same energy and tenacity is evident.
This year alone, the 28-year-old has won four of his five Grand Slam matches that have gone the distance, which included coming back from the brink to overturn a two-set deficit against former world No.6 Felix Auger-Aliassime at Wimbledon.
The problem that Kokkinakis has faced is consistency - a critical trait in order to go deep in tournaments such as majors.
After his upset win against Stefanos Tsitsipas at the US Open earlier this year, Kokkinakis was forced to retire in his second-round clash due to injury. In the previous tournament at Queens, he withdrew before taking the court after his first-round victory.
Injuries have unfortunately plagued Kokkinakis' career where sadly, we may never see his full potential flourish the way many were anticipating. Kokkinakis probably knows that as well.
At the 2018 Miami Masters, Kokkinakis achieved the biggest win of his career by taking down 20-time major winner Roger Federer, officially elevating him onto the world scene.
But before that, there were tears and emotional heartache that Kokkinakis had to overcome to even get into that position. Forced to undergo shoulder surgery, the South Australian played one match from December 2015 to May 2017.
"I came back and I felt like I was nowhere near the player I was before because I was at my career high. Then I had shoulder surgery straight after my first full year on Tour. I think there were a lot of people touting me as one of the top guys to look at in the future," Kokkinakis told the ATP.
"When that kind of sets you back, it's tough. Then you have this expectation of where you were before you got injured. And then you start playing again, you feel like you're way off the mark."
"I was genuinely thinking about quitting. I would play a few matches, and I was like, ‘I am so far off it’. I felt like a fish out of water on the court. Even in practice, I remember I was like, ‘I don't have many tournaments left’." I think I had a few protected rankings left, so I was going to use this for the Slams, pick up the cash and I think that could be [it for] me, especially for the time being."
Yet in spite of the countless setbacks and bumps in the road, you can't question his professionalism and competitive spirit in what Australian tennis fans are accustomed to identifying with.
A title picked up at the Sydney Challenger event three weeks ago suggests Kokkinakis is still willing to put in the hard yards at the lower-level events to make one last surge up the rankings.
His career-high stands at No.65, which would shock people considering his natural talent and evident ability to claim almighty scalps on the grandest of stages.
This is the current version of Kokkinakis that Australians crave - and if he is to be selected against the Italians in the Davis Cup semi-finals - of course, he will leave no stone unturned.
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