“No one has done this before.” Thanasi Kokkinakis, former great hope of Australian tennis who fell to 450th in the world, began yet another return to competition this Sunday, his career continuing to be polluted by repeated injuries. Engaged in the doubles draw in Brisbane (ATP 250) alongside his whimsical compatriot Nick Kyrgios, the 29-year-old was very moved when returning, at a press conference, to the success of the Australian pair against the duo Matthew Ebden/Rajeev Ram (5-7, 6-4, 10-8).
Above all, the 65th in the world at his best in 2023 recounted the months of struggle and suffering caused by his serious injury to his right pectoral having kept him away from the courts for almost a year, he who had not played since his loss in five sets against Jack Draper in the 2nd round of the Australian Open, on January 15, 2025.
“What I have been through over the last twelve months is completely crazy,” he recalled to the press, according to comments reported by the specialist media The Tennis Gazette. “I talked to a lot of surgeons, a lot of doctors, I even talked to Rafa’s (Nadal) doctor, and he himself wasn’t really sure what was going on. It was pretty crazy. »
“I literally cut off half of my pectoral”
Faced with the difficulty encountered by the medical profession in establishing a diagnosis, Kokkinakis explained that he played for a long time despite the pain. “I would play a match, sometimes I would have a big win, and then my arm would be destroyed for the next few rounds. I had been playing with a fibrous scar for five years. »
Until finding the right surgeon, capable of offering him an unorthodox solution to reconstruct his right pectoral: “I literally cut half of my pectoral,” explained the winner of the 2022 Australian Open in doubles with Kyrgios. “Today I have the Achilles tendon of a deceased person in my arm to attach my pectoral to my shoulder,” he detailed, speaking of his operation which took place in February 2025.
“Many surgeons did not want to operate, they said it was too risky, that it had never been done in tennis,” lamented the Adelaide native, who will return to singles competition at the Australian Open, from January 12 to February 1.
In fact, Kokkinakis underwent an allogeneic transplant by receiving tissue from a deceased donor, a procedure generally affecting patients seeking bone marrow. “It was a risk that I decided to take, knowing that I might not have another chance,” said the person concerned in a podcast published on the social networks of the Australian Open, on August 21. “No tennis player had ever undergone this type of operation before, so it was a risky bet. And the most difficult thing about this type of operation is that you can’t compare yourself to anyone else. »
It now remains to be seen whether this unorthodox operation will allow Kokkinakis to continue his career normally.
