Australian Open 2021: Thanasi Kokkinakis' next attempt at comeback
Thanasi Kokkinakis was considered one of the greatest Australian talents, but the bad luck with injuries struck him again and again. At the Australian Open 2021, he can now start with a wildcard.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Jan 03, 2021, 06:44 pm
Thanasi Kokkinakis was known to German tennis fans very early on: it was in 2013, at the good old Hopman Cup, when the then 16-year-old was allowed to step in for the injured Tommy Haas.
At that time Kokkinakis was still playing on the Juniors Tour, where he also reached the finals of the Australian Open (loss to Nick Kyrgios) and US Open (loss to Borna Coric) in 2013. He then switched to the men and also reached the top 100 of the ATP rankings early in 2015.
What followed were times of suffering: shoulder problems, a torn chest muscle (when he wanted to train himself a bigger biceps in order to properly wear the new sleeveless Nike tops), and shortly after he celebrated his greatest success in Miami in 2018 with a victory over Roger Federer , he broke his kneecap (on a billboard in Monte Carlo). Most recently, Kokkinakis was incapacitated due to an tonsil operation after his throat was so swollen from Pfeiffer's glandular fever that he repeatedly had nocturnal breathing pauses and ended up in the hospital.
Kokkinakis seeks balance
Kokkinankis now wants to approach his career more sensibly than was previously the case. "I often think too much. And if I think something will help me, I'll go to the bitter end. I haven't found the balance yet," he said, looking back to the Herald Sun at the groin problems he was having In 2018 he suffered an arm injury from excessive jogging (12 kilometers a day).
In 2020 he now had time to get well - and to be sensible. In the autumn he decided not to fly to Europe to play the French Open. Instead, he trained in Melbourne for seven months with his colleagues - and legends like Lleyton Hewitt and Mark Philiippoussis.
"No reason to panic"
"He works hard, has a good mind and listens. He was grateful that I was on the court with him," said Philippoussis. "I have all the time in the world for someone like him." Kokkinakis is "still young, so there is no need to panic. But he also has to be clear: Hey, I'm not a newbie anymore, I'm 24, I know where I have to be and what I have to do for it."
What gives him courage, says Kokkinakis, are his previous comebacks. "If I had played again and lost everything, I would have asked myself: Why are you doing this? But when I came back I was always competitive and beat good people."
That gives him hope. And the thought: "Stay tuned - if I stay healthy for a long time, I have a chance of achieving something good." Maybe already in Melbourne? He should have the home advantage, with several tournaments on site .