Aussie Tennis Youngster Thanasi Kokkinakis ready for the 2020 season

·

Thanasi Kokkinakis is feeling confident as he prepares for the 2020 season.

“I feel good. This is the healthiest I’ve been in a while,” the 23-year-old told tennis.com.au during a break from his pre-season training.

“It’s the first time I’ve really had a pre-season with no restrictions. Hopefully it stays this way coming into the first few tournaments of the year. I think I’m in a really good spot coming into next year.”

The South Australian’s rising confidence is positive news after a challenging run with injuries. A pectoral injury impacted his 2019 season, the fourth consecutive year he’s been unable to play a full schedule.

Kokkinakis admits he became his “own biggest opponent” as he struggled to maintain momentum during the testing period. Frustrations grew as self-belief faded in his body’s ability to handle matches.

From the nine tournaments he entered in 2019, he was unable to complete four of them due to injury. This included the Australian Open, where he retired in the opening round after winning three qualifying matches, and the US Open, where he withdrew with shoulder soreness ahead of a second-round clash with eventual champion Rafael Nadal after posting his first Grand Slam main draw win since 2015.

Kokkinakis, currently ranked No.199, has not played since making an ATP Challenger final in the United States in September. After cutting his season short to rehabilitate his lingering pectoral concern, he contemplated contesting last week’s AO Play-off.

“I was close (to playing). If it was a best-of-three event or maybe only best-of-five for the last round, I probably would have played,” he said.

“But I thought I’d take the time for the rest of the year to sort my pec out. I didn’t want to rush that process and play best-of-five sets too soon. I tried to do the best thing body wise, not just looking short-term for the Aussie Open, because I know it’s a long year ahead.”

That long-term focus has Kokkinakis, who achieved a career-high ranking of No.69 as a teenager in 2015, eyeing a return to the world’s top 100 for the first time since February 2016.

He showed promising signs in 2019 that this target is achievable – winning 20 of the 26 matches he completed and defeating Australian Open 2019 semifinalist Lucas Pouille to make his second career ATP-level quarterfinal in Los Cabos in July.

“My biggest goal is to stay healthy. I think my ranking will take care of itself when I do that,” says Kokkinakis.

“Obviously I want to get back inside the top 100 as soon as possible and I think the quickest way to do that for me is just to stay healthy. I only played a few events last year, and a couple of them I pulled out of, and I’m (ranked) around 200.

“So if I can play more tournaments and do as well as I did, I think I’m going to have a pretty high ranking hopefully.”

Kokkinakis plans to make his competitive return at an ATP Challenger tournament in Canberra in January. His attention then turns to the Australian Open, where he will need to qualify or receive a wildcard to make a fifth main-draw appearance.

Sourced by: Tennis Australia

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Hellenic spirit shines at the opening of the Odyssey Greek Festival 2025

The opening night of the 2025 Odyssey Greek Festival was a vibrant celebration of culture, memory, and community

Areti Ketime brings the spirit of rebetiko to Melbourne for the Zeibekiko Festival

The Zeibekiko Festival has returned for its third year this month with a lively Rebetika performance in Melbourne by singer Areti Ketime. 

Literary memorial in Sydney honours the legacy of esteemed scholar Dr George Kanarakis

A literary memorial in honour of Greek academic and internationally renowned linguist of Australia, Dr George Kanarakis, was held on Tuesday.

Memorial service to be held in Sydney to honour the life of Chris Felemegas

A memorial service will be held in Sydney on Sunday, October 12, to honour the life of Chris Felemegas, a figure remembered for his warmth.

Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Ioannis Loverdos meets Archbishop Makarios in Sydney

Greek Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Hellenism Abroad, Ioannis Loverdos, met with Archbishop Makarios of Australia on Tuesday.

You May Also Like

Workers’ Union taking De Costi seafood to court for allegedly underpaying staff wages

“We strongly reject any claim that we treat our staff with anything but the utmost of respect," a De Costi seafood spokesman said.

TGH Exclusive: Christos Karras shares observations and challenges facing Consulate General of Greece in Sydney

The Greek Herald sat down with Mr Karras to discuss how the Consulate General is handling COVID-19 with regards to carrying out the Consulate's duties.

Team Greece’s chicken souvlaki wraps up a win against Team India on Plate of Origin

Team Greece's chicken souvlaki with tzataki did not disappoint on Plate of Origin last night, scoring a perfect 30/30 from the judges.