Kokkinakis won. Here’s why he can’t guarantee he will play his next match

Thanasi Kokkinakis’ Australian Open audition in Adelaide on Monday night has created further doubt about his status after he suffered right shoulder pain throughout his victory over Sebastian Korda.

The 29-year-old’s 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) triumph came in his first singles match since last year’s Open, after which world-renowned surgeon Greg Hoy performed revolutionary pectoral reattachment surgery on him with an Achilles tendon graft from a dead person.

Thanasi Kokkinakis was overjoyed to win his first singles match since last year’s Australian Open.Credit: Getty Images

Kokkinakis had lost his previous three matches to the American – only once claiming a set – but flashed a huge smile afterwards, before telling his home-state fans that his injury hell was “all worth it” for this result.

However, he said he was unsure if he would be able to play his next match, against fifth-seeded Monegasque rival Valentin Vacherot, after blasting 38 winners past Korda in a clutch performance.

“Oh, man, it’s been a rough 12 months, but this makes it all worth it,” Kokkinakis said.

“I had my eye on this in Adelaide, and I knew I’d come to a packed crowd and everyone cheering, so it was incredible. Thank you so much. I love it here.

“[The shoulder issue] is something that I’ve been dealing with, it feels like, my whole career. I worked so hard to even give myself a chance to get back on this court, but in the second set, I hit a serve, and it didn’t feel great.

“I was talking to my team every two minutes, whether I should stop. I felt like, even if I win, at what cost? But I always try and win, and especially here in Adelaide. I don’t know if I can go any further, but I’ll try my best.”

Kokkinakis won the Adelaide title four years ago.

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He said he would stay away from the courts on Tuesday, seek medical opinions and take “the strongest painkillers” to try and play again on Wednesday. Not being able to back up from matches due to injury is a problem that has plagued Kokkinakis throughout his career.

“I’ll be put on ice tomorrow … [but] hopefully I can come again on this court and give it a crack,” he said.

Kokkinakis’ doubles partner Nick Kyrgios woke up on Tuesday to the news of his close friend’s win, which he described as “incredible and inspirational”.

“No one’s ever had that surgery and come back and won a match at that level, or let alone even come back and tried to play,” Kyrgios said.

“I messaged him today, and I’m a bit dumbfounded by the fact that he’s able to still do that. He’s probably one of the most resilient people I know. He keeps getting knocked down and keeps standing back up, and I drew inspiration from that, honestly. I’m excited for us to play doubles, but he’s an absolute warrior.”

Kokkinakis took a medical timeout midway through the second set.Credit: Getty Images

A protected ranking means Kokkinakis can feature at next week’s Australian Open, but he told this masthead pre-tournament that there was no guarantee he would play.

The first signs of trouble appeared after the second point of the third game in the second set, when Kokkinakis grimaced and grabbed at his right shoulder. He held serve for a 3-0 lead, but immediately called the trainer and underwent a medical timeout.

Kokkinakis could be heard discussing with the trainer what was going on, and wondered aloud whether fatigue or tension might be to blame for his shoulder issue.

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The trainer came out twice more to massage the Australian’s right shoulder, and he continued to show signs of distress, including after firing an ace to level the contest at a set-all.

Kokkinakis has been open about not knowing yet if the surgery would solve the pectoral problems he has dealt with since first hurting the area in the final round of qualifying at the 2019 Australian Open. But he opted for the tennis-first operation in a desperate attempt to revive his career.

“If someone recommended me not to do it, I just blacklisted them,” Kokkinakis told this masthead.

“I was fine with retiring rather than keeping on doing what I was doing. I couldn’t back up matches, and was losing hope. I want to lose because people beat me at tennis. If that happens, fine. But if I lose because I can’t serve, which is my strength, then I’m cooked.”

Kokkinakis said he generally woke up with stiffness in his surgically repaired shoulder joint after tennis-related activity, but that he had not experienced any pain in his right pectoral muscle since the operation.

He played doubles only in Brisbane last week with Nick Kyrgios, and choked back tears after they won their first-round match.

Kyrgios announced post-tournament that he would play doubles only at the Australian Open.

Follow our live Australian Open blog each day from January 18 for results, news, analysis and interviews.

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