Outclassed: Thanasi Kokkinakis shakes hands after losing to Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open in January. Credit:Pat Scala Not that Kokkinakis is losing any Zs over the other K, his pal and elder by a year, but equal, often, on the practice court, and the man dubbed by Kyrgios after his staggering Wimbledon upset of world No.1 Rafael Nadal as "extremely talented, if not more than me. He's going to have a great career." Kokkinakis does not doubt that he, too, will have a breakthrough sooner rather than later, having already won a grand slam round (defeating then-world No.73 Igor Sijsling as a wildcard on debut at Melbourne Park in January), held a match point in the final round of qualifying at the French Open (but blew the chance to meet Frenchman Gilles Simon on Court Suzanne Lenglen in the main draw), and logged three top-hundred wins before this week. In the meantime, he has, Kyrgios-like, slashed his own ranking by more than 400 places from 628th at the start of a 2014 season that has nevertheless been interrupted by a year 12 study break back home in Adelaide, an illness that saw him placed in quarantine during Australia's Davis Cup tie against France in February, as well as the latest couple of injury episodes in a career already notable for its physical setbacks. "My game's coming along well,’’ he said after defeating Taiwanese second seed Jimmy Wang at this week's Vancouver Challenger. "I've been working on my movement a lot, and my backhand … and I'm competing well, I've been fit and healthy for a while, so I suppose I can get a few wins when I'm not injured." Not that he had doubted it, for Kokkinakis has long been beating most opponents on the practice court, and is now working on how to regularly translate rehearsal to the main event.

Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis. Credit:Michael Mucci Yet while the learning has only started, at least the study phase is almost over, and the year 12 student made the strategic/necessary decision to return home for a competitive breather and academic catch-up when the circuit switched to grass, a surface low on his preference list. Kokkinakis was getting distracting pre-match emails asking if he had completed an assignment, or reminding him of a due date. For a pro tennis player, not ideal. "I got a big chunk (of work) done while everyone was away playing the grass, so it was a good move for me. I'd been on the road for a while, as well, and I thought rather than trying to play at Wimbledon probably not feeling 100 per cent, that I'd go back and finish my study." The "hard" subjects – English and maths for example – were completed last year, leaving just health to come. As for his results so far: healthy enough. "I think they were Bs. C-plus – I don't know, I just try and pass, that's all I wanted to do. I didn't really care how high I got 'em, to be honest. I'm not going for aces while I'm playing tennis full time. I just tried to pass with the minimal work possible," he says, laughing at the cliche that is the teen sports jock opening the books only reluctantly. But Kokkinakis is smart, and articulate, and already has a career at which he excels. He also has enough perspective to note of life on tour that: "It's the old thing: the better you do the more you enjoy it. No matter where you stay, how nice the area, if you're losing more than you'd like every week everything kind of sucks. So you could stay in a rubbish place, playing a tournament that's not great, you win, you still feel better, so that's pretty much what it's all about.''

At this month's US Open, he has earned a grand slam qualifying place on merit for the first time, having already unofficially ceded the Tennis Australia wildcard to Bernard Tomic – who dipped just briefly enough out of main draw entry status to need it, only to return to the top 70 with a recent ATP 250 success in the recent Colombia Open. Kokkinakis and James Duckworth were among the next in the wildcard line, but are likely to stay behind 21-year-old Tomic in the queue. "I think me and Ducks have lucked out a little bit, because Bernie showed that he probably deserves it, by winning an ATP 250," says the big-serving South Australian with the powerful forehand, and bold, aggressive game. "That's what I think anyway. It's the selectors' choice, but Bernie showed his resilience and what he can do when he focuses ... That's a good effort, and it's unfortunate for me and Ducks that he dropped outside to that ranking at that point because he's definitely not a player that should be ranked outside 100." Still, for Kokkinakis, this is another small step. His goal, obviously, is to qualify at Flushing Meadows, having needed some time to get over the "dagger" that was his failure to convert a match point and thus make a similar breakthrough at Roland Garros. "That kind of hurt me a little bit mentally for a couple of weeks – not hurt me, just frustrated me. But I think I've bounced back now, and looking to go one better in New York." If so, as the teenager acknowledges and Kyrgios has proved, anything can happen, and what was his friend's "unreal run" at SW19 is an example of what can be done when the planets align. He is not trying to emulate Kyrgios, though, for Kokkinakis is his own man, albeit still a young one working out how to deal with a friendly contemporary's outstanding success.

Yes, there was a warm message of congratulations after the Nadal match, but he might also have just gnashed his teeth. Just a little. In a good way. "I don't think it's a secret," says Kokkinakis, matter-of-factly. "Obviously he's a year older, but anyone around the same age would be wanting to do what he did there. It's a great run, but it's all about being consistent, and I'll definitely get my chance."