Thanasi Kokkinakis: ‘I didn’t care if I didn’t play again, I wasn’t doing that cycle anymore’ | ATP Tour

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Kokkinakis: ‘I didn’t care if I didn’t play again, I wasn’t doing that cycle anymore’

The 29-year-old, who is back on the court after an unprecedented surgery, explains the rehab

January 05, 2026

Thanasi Kokkinakis didn’t expect the opening round doubles match at the Brisbane International presented by ANZ to make him cry.

But do exactly that. The 29-year-old Australian, who underwent major and unprecedented pectoral surgery in February, is back in action at home in Brisbane, where he met Nick Kyrgios to claim a three-set victory over Matthew Ebden and Rajeev Ram.

“I have never failed in a doubles match, even when we won,” said Kokkinakis. “What I’ve been through in the last 12 months is crazy, I’m talking to a lot of surgeons, a lot of doctors.” I spoke to Rafa’s doctor and he wasn’t sure what was going on.

For much of the past year, Kokkinakis was trapped in the frustrating gray area of ​​medicine. Chronic shoulder and chest problems left him in pain but without a clear diagnosis or treatment plan, forcing him to bounce between professionals as his season ended.

“There was no physio or doctor I saw who was comfortable and confident about which way I should go,” he said. “But I said I don’t want to keep doing what I was doing. In the past I’d play one match and maybe win a lot, and my arm was shot in the next few rounds. I almost said ‘I don’t care if I play again, I’m not doing that again’, because it’s almost like being teased about what I can do and then I have to go out.”

That round – a flash of form followed by a forced withdrawal – finally pushed Kokkinakis to a decisive decision. After years of dealing with damaged muscles, he agreed to surgery that few tennis players have ever tried.

“I actually cut off half of my pec,” explained the former No. 65 player in the PIF ATP Rankings. “I had a bald scar that I played with for five years or more. I saw a lot of surgeons who didn’t want to operate on it. They thought it was dangerous, it’s never been done in tennis. I actually have an Achilles allograft – or a dead man’s Achilles – in my arm trying to attach my pec to my shoulder.”

The unprecedented nature of the process makes the return process even more difficult. Unlike a common knee or ankle injury, there was no set path to recovery, no standard timelines, and no peers who had traveled the same path.

“It’s really hard to come back from that program, because you don’t really have anyone to talk to because no one has done that,” said Kokkinakis. “A lot of people do ACLs and Achilles, which are brutal, terrible injuries. But with that, a lot of people have had them, so you know who to talk to and what to do.”

Even reaching the starting point in Brisbane required careful handling. Kokkinakis admitted that just getting ready to compete in doubles events felt like a milestone after months of initial progress.

Throughout the long recovery, the Australian summer remained his motivation. Kokkinakis has fond memories of this period, winning his only ATP Tour title in 2022 in Adelaide, the city of his birth.

“There’s a lot I don’t know, but I’ve just been doing a lot of practice to try to get myself in a position where I can play doubles,” Kokkinakis said. “It’s been a stop/start. I don’t know how my future will go, what it holds, but I’ve done everything I can to at least give myself a chance. I’m taking it day by day.

The Aussie has endured isolated winter training sessions in Melbourne with a view to returning to the court in front of the home fans.

“I was really sick from training, and I’m in Melbourne in the winter with no one to train with and I’m trying to motivate myself in the Aussie summer,” Kokkinakis said. “That was the carrot at the end, I’m just trying to look forward to that moment, not knowing if I can play.

“I’m just doing everything I can. The constant injections, the cortisones, trying to get myself to a place where I can take the court. It’s a very difficult feeling to repeat. I don’t take it lightly, and I know that’s what I’ll miss the most when I finally stop playing.

“All my recovery and everything I did was focused on trying to get back in front of the crowd in Australia and be competitive. So I’m really happy.”