More than 16,000 kilometres from his home in Melbourne, Thanasi Kokkinakis was discussing a topic that felt distinctively Australian as he prepared for a sixth main-draw campaign at Roland Garros: the giant scar on his upper arm that “looks like a shark bite”.
That significant blemish – which Kokkinakis admitted he “hasn’t shown too many people” – is a result of the pectoral surgery he underwent in February 2025.
And the vast distance from home in many ways symbolised the path it took for Kokkinakis to return to a Grand Slam main draw.
With the “Achilles of a deceased person” attached to his pectoral muscle, the South Australian endured months of painful rehabilitation in an attempt to reboot a career repeatedly interrupted by injury and illness.
From a stress fracture in his back soon after he first came to notice as an Australian Open 2013 boys’ finalist, Kokkinakis has battled a major shoulder injury (also requiring surgery), as well as elbow, knee and groin problems, plus glandular fever and a sinus complaint that resulted in yet another operation.
But no injury was as serious – or rare – as the pectoral muscle that first troubled him in 2019 and eventually detached from his shoulder. It saw Kokkinakis consult with numerous specialists, including one who had treated the prolific Rafael Nadal, before eventually undergoing the radical surgery in Melbourne.
“I mean, it's not normal, and the hardest thing about it was I didn't really have anyone to speak to as far as they've had the surgery, this is what you should be feeling,” Kokkinakis related.
But from those challenges came hard-gained resilience – a quality that was gloriously on show as the world No.855 staged an epic comeback to defeat local hope Terence Atamane in five sets in his Roland Garros 2026 opener.
“To come back after such little tennis on a Grand Slam stage and in these conditions against a good player from France, it's probably my best mental effort considering where I was,” said Kokkinakis, who recovered from a two-sets deficit in the four-hour 18-minute triumph.
“Even a few days ago there were talks that I wasn't sure if I'd play. I had some people flying in, and I told them to stay home, because I didn't want to play a few games and for something to go bad, to be honest.”
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Marking only the second match he’d played on the main tour this season – after upsetting Sebastian Korda in Adelaide, Kokkinakis conceded he’d returned too early and withdrew from the Australian Open – it was his first Grand Slam appearance since January 2025.
Contested in brutal heat and played before a passionate crowd understandably cheering for their local player, it was also a reminder of the big-stage battles that make Kokkinakis thrive.
“I've had some big wars here in Paris, and whether the crowd is for me or against me, I think I turned a few French my way, which is nice,” smiled Kokkinakis, whose five-set epics in the Paris include wins over Bernard Tomic, Stan Wawrinka and Alexei Popyrin, plus an edge-of-the-seat loss to Taylor Fritz in the 2024 third round.
“The atmosphere is incredible, and that's why you play. It made me smile. I was enjoying being back out on court and playing with that energy because it's something I've missed for a year and a half.”
It follows that thoughts of life after pro tennis have – for the moment – been placed on hold after Kokkinakis dabbled in commentating Roland Garros action last year.
“It's a bit weird, isn't it? Stopped mid-career to pursue something else and then gone back to tennis,” he noted pre-tournament with a laugh.
The immediate focus is instead on a second-round meeting with Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta, a world No.89 whom Kokkinakis has never faced on tour.
Having entered Roland Garros with a protected ranking, Kokkinakis appreciates there could be a looming deadline on his playing career.
Turning 30 in April, he admitted, was accompanied by a sobering reality. “You’re like, 'wow, I'm not the young guy on the block anymore',” he said.
But the one silver lining to injury is fewer gruelling court hours accumulated. “I am [young] tennis-wise, because I feel like the guys I grew up with have played probably four or five times the amount of matches that I have,” he pointed out.
And with wins over the likes of Roger Federer – then world No.1 in Miami eight years ago – and Andrey Rublev on his playing CV, Kokkinakis can appreciate that his best tennis is never far away.
“As far as my tennis level, without sounding like an idiot, I'm not that surprised,” he noted after outlasting Atmane in Paris on Monday.
“I've missed so much time in my career, and I feel like time and time again I've been able to prove and have some good wins after that time.”
And passion is far from lacking as Kokkinakis gives himself a year to assess his longer-term future.
“For me, this is why I play tennis, to try and be back on this stage. So I wanted to give myself a chance to play the Grand Slams,” he insisted.
“I owe it to myself to get out there and give it a crack.”
Catch Thanasi Kokkinakis and other Australians in Roland Garros action on the channels of the Nine Network and Stan Sport.