Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis pulled out of the Adelaide International on Wednesday because of a right shoulder injury, giving his opponent Valentin Vacherot a walkover. Consequently, Vacherot, the 2025 Shanghai champion, progresses to the quarter-finals. He is set to face either top seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina or Australian Rinky Hijikata in the next round.
Kokkinakis, who returned to singles action on Monday after a year-long absence following surgery for a pectoral issue, encountered a setback with his shoulder. Despite the discomfort, he managed to secure a courageous victory in his first singles match in almost a year at the Adelaide International.
The South Australian player battled through pain to complete his comeback match, defeating Sebastian Korda in a final-set tie-break. However, he visibly struggled with his right shoulder during the game.
“It’s tough. Obviously my right arm caused by serving has plagued me my whole career. There’s a lot of what ifs, especially in my mind, if I wasn’t struggling with that. I know little niggles are normal here and there, but I feel like kind of what I’ve gone through is a little bit out of the normal,” Kokkinakis expressed after the match.
Last February, Kokkinakis underwent a unique surgery where a donor Achilles tendon was attached to his right pectoral muscle and shoulder. Despite making a competitive return in doubles with Nick Kyrgios at the Brisbane International last week, his singles comeback was marred by the injury flare-up.
Kokkinakis holds a protected ranking that allows him to participate in the Australian Open singles starting January 18 and is also slated to compete in doubles with Kyrgios. However, his involvement in the upcoming major tournament is now uncertain.
