On the walls of a dusty old gym underneath Adelaide Oval, which backs on to the Memorial Drive tennis courts, sits a photograph of a couple of young fresh-faced kids dressed in oversized Australian tracksuits who look all hair and not a lot of height.
Well there was, anyway, when Australia last hosted a Davis Cup tie against Brazil shortly before the pandemic in 2020.
The picture, dating back almost a decade at the time, was of a representative team featuring two young boys named Thanasi Kokkinakis and Li Tu.
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They did South Australia proud at the time when representing their nation in an under-14 competition in the Czech Republic and on Tuesday the mates produced a pair of sensational performances at Flushing Meadows.
Kokkinakis stunned dual-grand slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas in the best grand slam win of his career, while Tu shocked Carlos Alcaraz and a capacity crowd inside Arthur Ashe Stadium with a scintillating second set against the superstar before running out of steam.
Prior to his former junior mate stepping out against the record-breaking Alcaraz, Kokkinakis said he was thrilled for him when stating Tu was someone whose life experiences should be told in a book.
“It is a crazy experience for Li, honestly. I’m so happy for him. What a story,” Kokkinakis said.
“I grew up playing with him. We were seven, eight, nine, and I remember playing in the kids cup at, like, a seven-and-under tournament in Adelaide.
“He grew up really tough. His mum passed a few years ago. He was the nicest kid ever. We are the same age and we played doubles in nationals growing up.
“For him to qualify … he saved match points and qualified and what a reward to play Alcaraz under lights. Whatever happens, this is a massive win and I’m sure he’s going to remember this for the rest of his life.
“He went to study, then started coaching to fund his career and, there should be a story written about it. It’s pretty crazy.”
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In an interview with this journalist for The Australian back in 2020, a few months after he had decided to have a crack at making it as a pro following a stint at university, Tu recalled bumping into a former junior peer at an exhibition in Adelaide while watching as a fan.
Tu, who said renowned Australian coach Darren Cahill used to assist him with cast-off clothing in the infancy of his comeback, asked then No.7 Alexander Zverev if he could remember him.
The German’s response was quick; “He said to me, ‘I remember. You chopped me up when we were about 11’. I had a reputation for being quite talented, but I genuinely believe I put in the work to get to where I got to.”
Alcaraz, certainly, will remember the audacious Aussie who tried — and fumbled — an underarm serve against him and then tried to pull off a SABR-attack (coined after Roger Federer’s bold strategy to half-volley returns) on a point to win the second set.
“Obviously it surprised me a little bit. The first set it was obvious he started the match nervously. After the first set, he grew up and started to enjoy it,” Alcaraz said.
“He played great tennis. He was a great player. I was surprised … and I am going to follow his results from now, because I am pretty sure that if he is playing at this level, I am going to see him around very soon.”
As for Tu, who was interviewed by another former junior peer in Nick Kyrgios for ESPN prior to stepping on to America’s stadium court, he has fond memories of his junior rivalry with Kokkinakis and is hopeful this is only the beginning … even if he is 28.
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“It was incredible. It was the most fun I’ve had on a court ever, to be honest, the most electric experience I’ve ever been a part of. The noise, I mean, you can barely hear the ball being hit,” he said.
“Honestly, I’ve taken so much away from this (on) where I need to improve to match it with the best and what needs to be done. I don’t want to be a one match wonder.
“I’ve had a great tournament, but I want to make sure I use this experience in a positive way … and know there is a lot more to be done.”
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