Thanasi Kokkinakis
Adelaide's World Tennis Challenge will take on a decidedly Greek-Australian tinge as the event announced rising South Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis and former Davis Cup hero Mark Phillippousis would represent the country in the event.
Tournament director and Australian great Mark Woodforde unveiled one of the strongest fields in the competition’s history at today’s launch at War Memorial Drive.
In the ATP players’ field, Kokkinakis will face 2014 US Open winner Marin Cilic, who was forced to withdraw from last year’s event because of shoulder injury, and Spanish left-hander Fernando Verdasco.
Verdasco is a former top-tenner and member of Spain’s Davis Cup winning team in 2008, 2009 and 2011. He is now ranked No. 43.
The event will continue in the centre court format that was successful last summer, and well-known female champions return to the field in the shape of 2013 Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli, 1997 French Open champion Iva Majoli and former world No. 1 Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario.
In the men’s legends field, two of the modern era’s most popular players — former world No. 1 Mats Wilander and 2001 Wimbledon Goran Ivanisevic — return to the event.
Mark Philippousis
World No. 71 Kokkinakis was looking forward to preparing for the Australian Open in front of family and friends and also teaming up with Philippoussis to play doubles.
“It’s an unbelievably strong field,’’ Kokkinakis said yesterday. “It was this or Sydney (International) for me and it’s always good to come back home.”
Woodforde was chuffed with the amount of talent set to arrive at War Memorial Drive for the January 12-14 event in 20016.
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