Greek Australian tennis star Thanasi Kokkinakis has been forced to pull out of the Australian Open singles draw due to an ongoing shoulder problem, though he has not ruled out lining up in the men’s doubles with Nick Kyrgios.
The 29-year-old’s withdrawal follows his exit from the Adelaide International earlier this week, where shoulder pain resurfaced during his opening-round victory over Sebastian Korda.
That match had marked Kokkinakis’ return to singles competition after almost 12 months away, following major pectoral surgery in February last year.
The procedure was highly unusual, involving an Achilles tendon being surgically knotted between his right pectoral muscle and shoulder.
While Kokkinakis said the current setback is unrelated, medical advice led him to withdraw from the Australian Open singles, despite having a protected ranking for the Melbourne Park tournament, which begins on Sunday.
“After an incredibly tough year, this was the event I was looking forward to the most, but I’m not ready yet,” he wrote on social media. “I’m doing everything I can to be back to 100 per cent.”
Kyrgios has also opted out of the singles event as he continues his own comeback from multiple injuries, having played only seven singles matches on the tour over the past three years.
Source: ABC News
