Thanasi Kokkinakis says he sees his Australian tennis pal Nick Kyrgios trying to improve his behaviour despite receiving another code violation in Shanghai.

His Davis Cup teammate Kyrgios received a second code violation warning in a week – for an audible obscenity – at the Shanghai Masters overnight.

But speaking at the launch of the 2016 Australian Open, Kokkinakis says Kyrgios is trying to tone down his antics.

“To be fair I’ve been watching him and he’s playing well and he’s probably a bit more switched on then I’ve seen him before,” Kokkinakis said.

“He’s not going to change completely and not not get frustrated but he’s toning it down a bit.”

The 19-year-old said while Kyrgios had been criticised for his poor on-court behaviour fans loved watching him play.