Thanasi Kokkinakis' career could have been very different if injuries hadn't had such a significant impact on his body. The Australian player was considered one of the most talented players of his generation, but he was only able to show his potential on a few occasions due to countless physical problems.
Kokkinakis came close to the feat against Jack Draper at the 2025 Australian Open, but the support of his fans was not enough to complete the job. Thanasi came within one service game of victory, before surrendering with a score of 6-7 6-3 3-6 7-5 6-3 also due to an injury.
The local idol was in a lot of pain in the latter part of the match and it's a real shame that this player was so unlucky for most of his career.
An unfortunate career
Kokkinakis suffers from a serious injury to his pectoral muscles and his participation in the AO was in strong doubt until the end, but in the end he decided to make an effort not to miss the first Grand Slam of the season and not disappoint his fans.
"I took a million painkillers to try to improve the situation, but it's clear that they can't continue to play in these conditions" - admitted Thanasi at the end of the match against Draper. "I have to stop and think carefully about my future, because I've been having to compete with these pains all the time. Honestly, I think injuries have limited my potential a lot over the years. I think tomorrow I won't even be able to lift my arm. Every time I play a couple of matches in a row, the situation gets much worse," he added.
The most likely hypothesis is that the Australian ace takes a long break and tries to find a definitive remedy for this injury, otherwise he risks making the situation even worse and having problems in his daily life as well. When he played his best tennis, Kokkinakis proved to have remarkable talent everyone remembers his victory against Roger Federer in Miami in 2018.
