Thanasi Kokkinakis told Nick Kyrgios he thought his now-infamous on-court comments were unacceptable ahead of a potential clash between the two at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati.
Kyrgios' well-publicized derogatory comment aimed at Stan Wawrinka at the Rogers Cup in Montreal implicated Kokkinakis and WTA Tour player Donna Vekic — and the Australian took strong exception to his friend's decision to publicize the information.
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Kokkinakis and Kyrgios could very well meet in the second round of the ATP 1000 event — Kokkinakis must first beat Fabio Fognini, while Kyrgios will face Wimbledon semifinalist Richard Gasquet in the first round.
"He apologized to me," Kokkinakis told tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg, via FOXSports.com.
"I let him know, I made it pretty clear that he can't be doing that. If he's got a problem, he's got to say it in private. The way he went about it definitely wasn't the right thing."
Kokkinakis said the ordeal has been difficult, although he managed to overcome a lack of sleep and win tight three-setters in Cincinnati qualifying.
"It's been interesting. It's been a circus," he added.
"I haven't gotten much sleep on the nights of the two incidents, yeah I didn't get much sleep last night either, but luckily enough I recovered and I'm playing a tournament at the moment, so I'm trying to focus on that, and I'm happy I found a way to get the win."
Kokkinakis got into it with 23-year-old Ryan Harrison in Cincinnati over the weekend. It started with comments made during the match, then carried over during a post-match handshake.
“He’s 19. If he wants to get into it, I will bury him," Harrison told Rothenberg. "Wawrinka should’ve decked Kyrgios, and I should deck that kid.”