Kokkinakis needs to overcome tentative grass-court vibes to make ...

Thanasi Kokkinakis is not afraid to admit he’s a bit like Bambi on ice when it comes to grass court tennis.

“Are you tentative when you play on grass?” he was asked the other day. “Yep,” came the immediate, unhesitating response, without a flicker of a smile.

The big Australian’s feeling of insecurity on the surface is something that’s bugged him ever since he slipped on a wet court two years ago at a Challenger tournament in Surbiton and sprained the MCL in his knee.

And all the old demons came to haunt Kokkinakis at Queen’s Club again a fortnight ago when he suffered another tumble and a similar MCL problem in his left knee that kept him out of action for a week to interrupt his preparations for Wimbledon.

But now he’s at SW19, Kokkinakis, who had an eventful run to the third round on the clay at Roland Garros, is having to bury any negative thoughts as he prepared for the opening-round clash with Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, the 17th seed, on Tuesday.

“I have been rehabbing to try and get as close as I can to 100 per cent. I’m getting close, having played an exhibition match last week, and hopefully I’m in good shape come Tuesday,” said Adelaide’s world No.93.

“The grass can be so dangerous. I got injured two years ago and I missed a month playing, so I’ve just got to be careful. At Wimbledon, more than anything, it’s just trying to get to the start line healthy.

“Of course, I would have loved to have few matches and a bit more prep, but I’ll just to see what I can do.

“I think getting the confidence for me in moving is probably the biggest thing. That’s the toughest part about a grass court. It’s just trying to gain confidence in practice, trying to simulate as close to match conditions as I can.

“Playing an exhibition match is cool, but you don’t want to injure yourself there and it’s not the same intensity. So trying to get my head in the mindset of approaching it like I would at Wimbledon has been the most important thing.”

Before yesterday’s match, the Greek Aussie had never played Auger-Aliassime.

The fading light forced a suspension with the match to continue later. Kokkinakis found himself two sets down 6-4, 7-5 but willed his way to claim the third 6(9), 7(11).

The fourth set now sits at 1-1 as they wait to restart the match.

With AAP