At 30, Thanasi Kokkinakis dropped to 855th in the world after an injury that only happens to bodybuilders. The Australian made a miraculous comeback and won on Monday in Paris, in the first round of Roland Garros, a five-set match, which lasted 4 hours and 20 minutes, against the Frenchman Terence Atmane (24 years, 52 ATP).
Kokkinakis has a dead man’s Achilles tendon in his shoulder. He cut off half of his pectoral muscle to relieve the pain that prevented him from playing at full capacity. A risky surgery that rebuilt his body and it seems to have paid off.
First, for Thanasi’s physical well-being, and now with positive results on the field: “My physical condition is not normal. And the hardest thing is that I had no one to talk to. I even spoke to Nadal’s doctor, and he didn’t know anything either. I had an injury similar to that of a bodybuilder, something that had never happened to a tennis player before“.
Every day, the Australian discovers different sensations: “I’m trying to figure out my new normal. I’m learning new things every day and trying to figure out how to improve. It’s the first thing I think about when I wake up. It consumes my life. It’s tough mentally, because a lot of times when I’m playing against an opponent, I don’t care. I just hope my arm is okay. And it’s strange to enter the field and think that the opponent is secondary“.
Roland Garros is the Grand Slam tournament that has given the Aussie (Australian Open doubles champion with Nick Kyrgios) the greatest singles satisfaction, with three third-round appearances, the first in 2015. When he was just 19 and high hopes, body intact.
11 years later, with more wrinkles on his face, a heavier body and a troubled mind, Thanasi attempts a comeback. He won a game on Monday that he shouldn’t have won: “I’ve been through some intense days to get to a point where I can at least partially trust my arm in a long match. I told my team that I will play until the Australian Open in 2027. If things don’t go well, then it’s probably over for me. But days like today give me hope that probably won’t be the case and that I can keep fighting“.
