Thanasi Kokkinakis is weighing up his return to singles at the Australian Open after undergoing what is believed to be a tennis-first surgery to address the right pectoral injury that has plagued his career for seven years.
The 29-year-old traced the issue back to his breakthrough Open in 2019, when he retired injured against Taro Daniel after qualifying for his first grand slam.
“I hit a forehand against Polansky, and something didn’t feel right,” Kokkinakis said, adding he later realised he had followed “bad doctor’s advice.”
According to Sydney Morning Herald, after extensive research, Melbourne surgeon Greg Hoy reattached Kokkinakis’ pectoral muscle to his shoulder using an Achilles tendon graft.
“If someone recommended me not to do it, I just blacklisted them,” Kokkinakis said. “I was fine with retiring rather than keeping on doing what I was doing.”
Kokkinakis made an emotional doubles return alongside Nick Kyrgios in Brisbane last week and says while his shoulder remains stiff, he has so far felt no pectoral pain.
He will use the Adelaide International to decide whether he is physically ready to contest the Australian Open, which he can enter using a protected ranking.
“I want to be able to play a match, and know that I can play the next one healthy,” he said, adding he does not expect to be near his best until at least mid-year.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald.
