A seething Thanasi Kokkinakis has described his ongoing pec problems as ‘physical and mental torture’ after losing a five-set epic at the Australian Open.
The 28-year-old was just one service game away from reaching the third round at Melbourne Park for the first time, but 15th seed Jack Draper rallied to win 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 3 -6 7-5 6-3 in four hours and 35 minutes – the longest match of the tournament.
Kokkinakis was serving for the match at 5-4 in the fourth set when the win forecaster gave him a 95 percent chance of victory, but the Briton won the next three games instead.
The Australian struggled physically all night against Draper and later revealed he would not have been able to play his next match even if he had made it against compatriot Aleksandar Vukic.
In an emotional press conference, Kokkinakis said he had taken a “million painkillers” to play his home slam after withdrawing from the Adelaide International last week due to a “crazy amount” of scar tissue in his chest.
At the end of the match, Draper consoled Kokkinakis at the net, knowing his rival was in severe pain.
A seething Thanasi Kokkinakis has described his ongoing pec problems as ‘physical and mental torture’
The Australian star was defeated in a five-set marathon by Britain’s Jack Draper and was treated for a chest problem during the match.
“Steam came out of my ears,” Kokkinakis said.
‘Nothing against him. I just knew my future was bleak.”
Kokkinakis admitted he could now spend some time on the sidelines, but did not elaborate on how long he could be out.
“I knew after (the Open) that I had to make some serious decisions, and that I was going to miss some time,” he said.
“I just tried to empty the tank a little bit for this week and see what I can do.
‘I tried to fix it manually for years, without surgery, just trying to do what I could.
“It’s the reason I can’t back up big games.
‘My whole body is fine. It’s just the same injury that I worked so hard to get right.”
Draper made an excellent comeback late in the match to take the match from the Australian, but revealed that some Australian fans had dragged him during the match
Kokkinakis had shown great sportsmanship during the fifth game of the fourth set and earned his opponent a point
The injury-prone right-hander is in his ninth Open campaign after first playing singles at Melbourne Park as a 17-year-old in 2014.
He has made it to the second round six times without ever advancing.
The Adelaide fighter’s injury will almost certainly mean he will withdraw from his highly anticipated doubles match against Nick Kyrgios on Thursday.
The pair won the doubles title together at the 2022 Australian Open.
A “pretty upset” Kokkinakis admitted that this loss hurt more than any other because he doesn’t have “forever” anymore.
“There are no guarantees with surgery,” he said.
‘I was told that my shoulder surgery… would be healed in three months. It ended up taking me a year and a half to get back.
‘One thing is certain: I can’t keep doing what I’m doing. It is mental torture and physical torture.”
But a stunned Kokkinakis said he had “a lot of doubts” reflecting on his injury after the match
Kokkinakis showed great sportsmanship during the fifth game of the fourth set and gave his opponent a point.
Draper appeared to have hit a clear winner when chair umpire Marijana Veljovic bizarrely called a let, despite the pair having already exchanged numerous shots.
The confused pair approached Veljovic, with Kokkinakis deciding to hand the point to Draper rather than replay it.
“Apparently someone spoke into the microphone or something,” he said, revealing what happened at that moment. “It was a long point. I thought he would win the point anyway. I made the point clear to him.”
But a dismayed Kokkinakis, pondering his future, added: “I know I don’t have forever. So I don’t know how long I’ll be gone or what the future holds, even if I can get back to this point if I get something done.
“Yes, I’m just in doubt and quite upset.”