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The return....Thanasi's recovery

20K views 283 replies 34 participants last post by  Kateoz 
#1 ·
Posted on twitter a little while ago, piccie of Thanasi with racket in correct hand at last:

Andrew Rondinelli ‏@Rondinelli_A 22 minutes ago
Great to have him back on court this week. Now it's time for some recovery. @TKokkinakis @BenMathias @PhysioScott

Here's hoping for a fast recovery from hereon in...
 
#3 ·
The return can't come soon enough - the only one of the Australians who has even the vaguest idea of how to behave in public.

And he keeps ending up the victim for his troubles (even stupid Groth got into him in public a few weeks back, yet once again Thanai handled it with grace declining to retaliate, just a mild comment about better not saying it to outsiders...).
 
#12 ·
I have to agree - I've got rather a bad feeling about this year for him, even if he does come back in time for the French.
It's hard to gauge whether he is a true future contender, or simply an eternal 'prospect'.

I sincerely hope that he's the former, because he really is a breath of fresh air.
 
#13 ·
Yes the original plan was a march return; now even May looking dodgy.

It may be of course that he just doesn't want to look bad at RG due to need to get some match play beforehand or else risk being seriously under-cooked, but all the signs seem negative.

Shame since his performance at RG last year really was very convincing even though a long way off serious challenger to Djoker as yet. Had the momentum continued though, you might have thought he might be within reach by now. As it is, who knows if his shoulder will ever recover that it was originally...

I have to admit I've long been in the school that thought he had more potential than Nick (and not just because of clearly superior mentality), matter of a game style that would inevitably take a bit longer to develop to full power.

But can't get there without the hours on court in real match play as opposed to practice...
 
#14 ·
Assorted stories around on the slowness of the recovery, from Leo Schlink, News Corp:

A SLOWER than expected recovery form surgery has thrown Thanasi Kokkinakis’ plans into disarray and scuttled the young star’s Olympic aspirations.

The South Australian teenager’s right shoulder was operated on in late December and he hoped to have resumed by now.

But he is yet to build full strength in the arm after surgeons shaved the end of his collarbone to free up the bursa.

“It’s slowly getting better,” Kokkinakis, one of the most exciting talents in world tennis, said.

“I haven’t started serving yet, I’m hitting the forehand at probably 50 per cent and the backhand at 90 per cent.


“Obviously I don’t want to try to come back and play a tournament before I’m ready.

“The claycourt season is probably my favourite time of the year and I really want to play the French Open (June ), but if I don’t, so be it.

“I can play it for the next 10 years, hopefully.

“The most disappointing thing is that I’ll miss the chance to have a crack at the Olympics. I was really looking forward to that...”

...His main priority is to regain fitness and form.

“It’s going all right, it’s been 12 weeks now since I had the surgery,” he said.

“There’s a few things going on in the shoulder, but it’s getting better.

“There’s a bit of post-surgery soreness. I’ve got full range of movement, but not all the time.

“The goal was to be ready for the French Open, but I’m not sure now.”

Kokkinakis dislocated his right shoulder playing basketball a few years ago.

Soreness in the AC joint last season plagued Kokkinakis and, after using weights “screwed it up even more”, it was eventually decided to opt for surgery.

“My overall fitness is OK, but I’m just working on getting the shoulder completely right before I go back.”
 
#19 ·
Rushing back for RG may seem like the ideal option after being on the sidelines for so long, but in reality, there's a big chance that he'd have no success there after a complete lack of match play. In that scenario, isn't it a better option to forgo RG travel and keep to a steady rehabilitation program, in order to ease his way back onto the tour via smaller tournaments. I don't know, maybe his team thinks he's already match ready shoulder wise and just needs to build up his court time again, but it all seems a bit rushed to me (as much as I've missed him on the tour).
 
#20 ·
Not sure I'm seeing this.

Six months is not rushed, and a month to get your serve up to full strength assuming all goes well should surely be sufficient.

One could assume that in reality the shoulder has been pretty ok for a while and they have even playing it very safe knowing they have to wait out six months to get pr status.

And an extreme longshot admittedly, but just a chance that he could play well enough to sneak into the Olympics either by gong deep at RG or say as Peers' partner (assuming Peers is still top 10)...Worth a try.

And in reality most likely scenario is goes down in first round of the two tournies and goes back to challengers, fairly unlikely he goes deep and really has to push shoulder hard immediately.
 
#22 ·
Gold Coast Bulletin reports:

THE injured young guns of Australian men’s tennis are easing back into it with a week training together on the Gold Coast.

Adelaide-born Thanasi Kokkinakis, 20, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, joined Gold Coast star Bernard Tomic for the latter’s first proper hit since wrist pain forced him off the pro tour last month.

Tomic had been playing through wrist soreness since the Australian Open in January and finally pulled the pin during a third-round match at Indian Wells. The 23-year-old has been resting it since and revealed to the Bulletin yesterday it was not serious and would not require surgery.

“It’s much better than it was during the tournaments so I’m very happy. It’s still not 100 per cent. But I can deal with it, I can play with it,” Tomic said.

Kokkinakis, who has dropped from a career-high ranking of 69 to 143 since right shoulder surgery in December, said he was still having a bit of pain but hoped it would decrease with time.

“Serving is not quite there yet, I’m still probably about 60 per cent on the serve. I’ve just got to take it day by day,” he said..Kokkinakis said he hoped to compete at the French Open next month but if not was certain he’d be back for Wimbledon in late June.

Kokkinakis and Tomic were joined yesterday by fellow Australian pro Sam Groth for the first session of a week-long training block at Southport’s Queens Park Tennis Club.

Groth, ranked 79, and Kokkinakis are jointly coached by Gold Coaster Ben Mathias who has brought the pair to his home city.

Groth said it was good to come somewhere different and also let Mathias have time at home instead of always being on the road.

It could become a regular visit, with Mathias saying: “We might do it more often – if it goes well we will be back.”

The trio will play tennis in the mornings with physical training including beach runs in the afternoons, Mathias said.

Tomic plans to return to the tour next week and start his French Open build-up with a clay court tournament in Romania.

He then heads to Istanbul, Madrid and Rome.
The walking wounded all training together on the Gold Coast, can't say it sounds like a great idea to me, though seems mainly for the benefit of Kokk's coach. Hopefully Bernie won't prove too bad an influence!

I'm taking the 'I'm still in pain/not there yet' stuff with a grain of salt - has to still be injured to get that PR.

One person noticeably not taking part in this little Oz training block despite presumably being back in Oz, so guess the Nick-Bernie rift is not yet healed...
 
#23 ·
Gold Coast Bulletin reports:



The walking wounded all training together on the Gold Coast, can't say it sounds like a great idea to me, though seems mainly for the benefit of Kokk's coach. Hopefully Bernie won't prove too bad an influence!

I'm taking the 'I'm still in pain/not there yet' stuff with a grain of salt - has to still be injured to get that PR.

One person noticeably not taking part in this little Oz training block despite presumably being back in Oz, so guess the Nick-Bernie rift is not yet healed...
Or that Nick is simply loath to give up time at home for some quality training companions - constantly complaining about the travel of the tour. Not that I think the rift has healed - Nick doesn't seem the conciliatory type.
 
#25 ·
More on the training block from the Gold Coast Bulletin (boy are they milking it!):

..Tomic and fellow Davis Cup teammates Sam Groth and Thanasi Kokkinakis descended on Southport’s Queens Park Tennis Club for several hours yesterday afternoon.

.Excited local juniors sat sideline as the trio had a relaxed session at the club where Tomic learned to play growing up. They were watched over by Gold Coaster Ben Mathias, a Tennis Australia coach..Queens Park Tennis Club junior player Nadine Zielinska, 13, said it was inspiring to see the trio up close.

“It’s like being at the Australian Open. It good because it shows you what it takes to get to the top.”

As for whether they’ll get up to any off-court socialising while on the Gold Coast, Tomic said he might take Kokkinakis for a tour.

“Kokk has never been here except for when he was young so I will show him out at the end of the week, some restaurants and stuff. But he’s also training so we only have limited hours we can venture out.”

Groth, 28-year-old elder statesman ranked 79, said it was good to “change it up” and train outside of Melbourne but he was unlikely to tag along for a night out.

“No, I don’t think so,” he said laughing.

However, 20-year-old Kokkinakis said he was up for it: “I’ll have a geez with (Tomic) — but we’ll keep it mellow, of course.”...

Mr Mathias, a Tennis Australia coach, said it was good to host the players at home and he hoped to do it more often: “It’s a bit of a test so if it goes well, we will be back.”

Tomic and Groth said they’ll return to tournament play next week while Kokkinakis is hoping he’ll be back for May’s French Open..
So at least one night on the town on the cards for Kokk it seems!

An interesting selection of photos to go with the story (Thanais and Sam playing, Bernie talking/goofing off, and a nice one of the three with one of the juniors mentioned, - Bernie looking away, Groth hands on hips -annoyed at the interruption?? - Thanasi the only interested...): No Cookies | Gold Coast Bulletin
 
#27 ·
I hope he starts with a challenger - try defend Bordeaux? Interesting decision, to get experience at the top level or start lower - after RG points come off (and Bordeaux) Kokk will be outside 250 unless he starts with a bang... All the way down to the same points tally as Matthew Barton.

200 points or so to defend after RG, so winning a challenger or two would go a long way to keeping him top 200 and a good run at ATP level as well hopefully so he can start next year just outside 100 (or even better) with only half a year played, that would be good.

If Fritz can play half a year and make top 70, no reason Thanasi can't, as long as he's smart in his scheduling and stays healthy.

Btw, does anyone have any info on whether he's likely to play RG, or is he just entering for now and may/may not be ready?
 
#28 ·
While that is true in theory, he has a protected for nine tournaments, seven if we assume Nice +RG (excluding wildcards).

So doesn't really need to panic about staying in top 200 for a good while.

That said, I agree playing a few challengers would make sense to build up match play and rebuild points, and save the PRs to get maximum benefit out of them.

But I guess it will all depend on how he goes when he comes back - if he looks like he is in form early, and can rebuild points at atp level, will surely to do that instead of challengers (especially as he seems to have an allergy to taking the obvious and easier route!).

As to whether he will really play, imagine he and his team won't make a decision until closer to the date. But how well he feels he is going against Bernie and Sam on this training block might be a pretty helpful indicator...though wouldn't be surprised to see him head for Canberra (or wherever Nick is lurking) for a few days as well.
 
#30 · (Edited)
Yes, clever exploitation of the fact that the week prior to a GS sees most players in the 100-250 range at qualies there instead, so his actual ranking can be used. I just hope Thanasi doesn't end up drawing Gavin Van Peperzeel, who is using the exact same rationale to participate in Nice qualies because he got in just before his ranking drops after this week!
 
#33 ·
The tears are real.

I sure hope he is actually progressing. Fair enough if he needs more time, it would just be so awful if he was never able to fully get the motion in his shoulder back.

I literally had a countdown to Nice going on my phone....

:sad: :bigcry:
 
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