Kokkinakis’ Comeback off to a Fine Start

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Kokkinakis’ Comeback off to a Fine Start

Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis is back on the ATP Tour and feeling healthy once again. The 20-year-old missed most of last season after enduring a shoulder surgery. He returned to play the Olympics but was quickly moved to the sidelines again when he suffered a pectoral injury.

More: Australian Open Junior Champion Under Investigation for Match Fixing

It all adds up to one tour-level match since October of 2015, but Kokkinakis has been shaking the cobwebs loose by making a run to the doubles semifinals at Brisbane with fellow Aussie Jordan Thompson.

Kokkinakis and Thompson defeated the top-seeded pairing of Nicolas Mahut and Pierre Hugues-Herbert on Thursday and will face No.4 seeds Daniel Nestor and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in the semifinals.

Kokkinakis, a former World No. 69, will play singles next week at Sydney, and if things go well next week, Kokkinakis says he will enter the Australian Open, which begins on January 15.

“I’m excited (to take the Sydney wild card],” he told ATPWorldTour.com. “I was trying to play here but I just didn’t feel I was quite ready. I’m trying to train as much as I can because I didn’t have a massive pre-season trying to get healthy. Had it not been the Australian summer I probably would have taken more time, but it would be tough to miss two in a row for me. I’m really keen to play."

UPDATE: Kokkinakis and Thompson reached the Sydney doubles final on Saturday with a win over Roger-Vasselin and Nestor:

In his 1st #ATP event in 15 months, @TKokkinakis is into the @BrisbaneTennis doubles final w/@jordanthommmo2. Read: https://t.co/U9eHVwVKCS pic.twitter.com/FqQ5qIJlMb
— ATP World Tour (@ATPWorldTour) January 7, 2017