"Unfortunately my arm isn't quite ready yet after missing a year off" - Injury problems prolong for Kokkinakis as he withdraws from Adelaide International

In a sad state of affairs, Thanasi Kokkinakis has been forced to pull out of the Adelaide International after winning his first round match against Sebastian Korda.

The Aussie made his return to the court after encountering a number of injury issues. It was a highly anticipated return in Adelaide where he was engrossed in a thriller against Korda. He completed an incredible comeback, winning 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3).

While it was a hard-fought determined win from Kokkinakis, he had serious doubts circling his mind throughout and was heavily considering retiring from it. The first round match was his first ATP singles match since just under a year ago when he lost in the second round of the Australian Open in five sets to Jack Draper.

This has taken a toll on him and his stricken body, with him making the executive decision to pull out of the tournament, to his own dismay.

"Very sad to have to pull out of my favourite event," he wrote on Instagram. "Unfortunately my arm isn't quite ready yet after missing a year off. The support is incredible and always love playing here. See you next year."

There was always a risk that Kokkinakis would not be eased back into action. He was engulfed in a titanic battle which almost lasted two and a half hours. There was even doubt on whether he would have competed at the Adelaide International at all if it was not his home event. It is also the scene of his first and only ATP singles title back in 2022.

There was a lot of uncertainly about how he would hold up after the shoulder surgery, The long period of recovery has massively held him back and added to the injury concerns he has picked up throughout his doomed career.

“I probably wouldn’t have played to start to with," he said on Monday night. “I had conversations with my team: I was like: ‘At what cost am I playing? Even if I get through this match, so what? I had the surgery so I could back-up matches and go through a tournament. But I’ll never really find out until I go through a long match and see where I’m at after.”

It was a late decision not to compete against the Shanghai Masters champion Valentin Vacherot, but it was the safe option to preserve his body and not inflict anymore damage to it. The Monegasque will have a free route into the quarter-finals where he will face the number one seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Back in 2022, Kokkinakis partnered up with Nick Kyrgios in Melbourne as they went and won the Australian Open doubles title in a hugely popular victory Down Under. Both players have been plagued with injury setbacks and pestering troubles through the years.

They most recently took to the court together with flying colours at the Brisbane International. They defeated Matthew Eban and Rajeev Ram 5-7, 6-4, 10-8 in a thrilling match. Another three set match followed, but this time they failed to progress any further.

With this latest withdrawal, there is now huge concerns over whether Kokkinakis will be in the shape to compete alongside Kyrgios It would be a huge blow to the home fans, as well as Kyrgios who has prioritised the doubles. The main draw will commence proceedings on January 20, with just under a week for Kokkinakis to get in the perfect condition to return in front of an expectant home crowd.