On the day the French Open announced its ban on alcohol to stop crowds getting unruly, Australia's marathon man Thanasi Kokkinakis had his own way of dealing with a heckler during his epic comeback win over Giulio Zeppieri.
Out on Court 10 late on Thursday night with both Australian and Italian fans in boisterous mood while Kokkinakis forged a remarkable 1-6 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 win, the Adelaide warrior turned on a Zeppieri supporter who tried to put him off in the fourth set tiebreak.
"Some guy with an Italian flag started hissing at five-all in the tiebreak on my second serve right as I threw the toss up. It backfired on him because Zeppieri missed his smash," said the Australian, weary but elated after his Thursday triumph.
