After being sidelined for almost a year with an injury, former Australian Open doubles champion Thanasi Kokkinakis has picked up a singles win.
The Australian, who emerged victorious at Melbourne Park in 2022 alongside compatriot Nick Kyrgios, won his opening match at the Adelaide International against Sebastian Korda.
Kokkinakis conceded the first set and looked to have been staring down the barrel of a defeat when he hurt his shoulder in the second.
He fought back, however, and defeated Korda in the decisive third-set tiebreak to win 3-6, 6-3, 7-6, marking his first singles win since the 2025 Australian Open.
Following his triumph, Kokkinakis, overcome with emotion, delivered his immediate on-court reaction.
Thanasi Kokkinakis reacts after beating Sebastian Korda
“Oh man. It’s been a rough 12 months, but this makes it all worth it,” said the 29-year-old, who underwent pectoral surgery last February.
Kokkinakis suffered the season-ending injury at last year’s Australian Open and made his return to tour-level action at the Brisbane International last week.
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He said: “I had my eye on this [tournament] in Adelaide and I knew I would come to a packed crowd and everyone cheering, so it was incredible. Thank you so much. I love it here.”
Kokkinakis was battling pain in the second set, and later revealed he hurt his shoulder from hitting a serve.
“It’s something I have been dealing with it feels like my whole career,” he explained.
“I have worked so hard to even give myself a chance to get back on this court. Second set, I hit a serve, and it didn’t feel great. I was talking to my team every two minutes on whether I should stop.
“It felt like even if I win, at what cost? But I was trying to win, and especially here in Adelaide, I don’t know if I can go any further, but I’m trying my best.”
When asked how he plans to spend his day off in between matches, Kokkinakis said: “We are so far away from the courts tomorrow.
“I’m gonna be putting on ice tomorrow, try and take the strongest pain killers, see as many physios as I can, and hopefully I can come again on this court and give it a crack.”
Thanasi Kokkinakis’ next opponent at the Adelaide International
Should he continue his campaign in Adelaide, Kokkinakis will have a tough second-round assignment in Valentin Vacherot.
The Monegasque star, who burst onto the scene last year when he became the lowest-ranked player ever to win a Masters in Shanghai, has had a slow start to the year.
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Vacherot lost his first match of the season in Brisbane to Korda, but opened his 2026 account in the first round at the Adelaide International against Miomir Kecmanovic.
Kokkinakis and Vacherot will meet for the very first time at an ATP Tour-level event, with a place in the quarterfinals up for grabs.
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