Unlike many of his other rivals on the tour, Thanassi Kokkinakis’ preparation for the French Open has been marred by injury setbacks and mental barriers.
Once a teenage prodigy tipped to become the next big thing in the world of tennis, Kokkinakis’ offensive on the men’s tour have been marred by injury. Since January 2016, he has only been able to participate in five tournaments. Over that period of time, the 21-year-old has endured more injury woes than some players have in their entire career. First, it was shoulder surgery that sidelined him. Following that, he suffered from bouts of abdominal pain, Groin injuries, a torn external oblique and an elbow problem.
“It’s been a frustrating time, but it’s good to be back on the court. I felt pretty good out there, all things considered.” Kokkinakis said after playing his first grand slam match since the 2015 US Open.
After enduring so much turmoil within the past 18 months, it was inevitable that doubts would form in the mind of the former top-70 player. Kokkinakis spoke about his doubts during an exclusive interview with Sport 360. Less than two week’s before the start of the French Open, he contemplated walking away from the sport permanently.
“I was saying to my coach, you have some sessions where I’m doubting myself so much – I felt like quitting after one of the sessions honestly,” he told Sport360.
“I was really frustrated a couple of times. That was like a week ago, a week and a half ago.
“But since that point, I had one more bad session after that. But then since that I was playing really well in practice, and that’s just the ups and downs of a tennis player.
“But I was serious, I was thinking about it for a few weeks, I was like ‘I don’t know how much my body can take after every practice session’.
Despite his uncertainty, Kokkinakis continues his tennis dream. On Wednesday he faced Kei Nishikori at the French Open. Inevitably the Australian was a massive underdog, but still managed to put up a good fight. In what was only his third singles match since August, he went out 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4, to the eighth seed.
The encouraging display was one Australian fans hoped to see, but Kokkinakis faces a tough road ahead. During his first round match, he struggled with his fitness. An unsurprising revelation for somebody that has been away from action for so long. Fortunately for the Australian, he appears to have the maturity to achieve the mission.
“There are things I can tidy up for sure, but the biggest is trying to get my body to be able to consistently feel decent for weeks on weeks. I mean, it’s not feeling great. It’s not supposed to feel great.” He explained.
Wednesday’s result might not have gone the way the 21-year-old desired, but there appears to be light shining at the end of the dark tunnel. Injury will half an athlete, but it will never get rid of their talent. Kokkinakis has a long way to go, physically and mentally, but his ongoing comeback is one that inspires.
