Thanasi Kokkinakis’ return to singles competition has been cut short after the hometown favourite withdrew from his Adelaide International round of 16 match due to a lingering shoulder injury.
The 29-year-old pulled out of Wednesday night’s clash with Valentin Vacherot, handing the fifth seed a walkover win, after failing to recover from a gruelling opening-round upset of American Seb Korda, his first singles match in 12 months.
Kokkinakis required repeated treatment on his shoulder during the three-set victory and admitted post-match he was uncertain he would be fit to continue.
“It’s tough obviously, it has plagued me my whole career,” Kokkinakis said.
“It puts a dampener on the win for sure, I know my tennis is in a good spot but it’s just the arm and shoulder I need to get right.
“I already know what (recovery) tomorrow is looking like for me and I don’t love it.”
The withdrawal casts serious doubt over Kokkinakis’ availability for this month’s Australian Open.
Vacherot will now face the winner of the match between Rinky Hijikata and top seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Source: The Advertiser.
