TENNIS: Hometown hero Kokkinakis pulls out of Adelaide with shoulder injury

Thanasi Kokkinakis’ emotional return to tennis ended in heartbreak on Wednesday as the Australian was forced to withdraw from his beloved Adelaide International, admitting that his shoulder was simply not ready after nearly a year on the sidelines.

The 29-year-old had battled through a grueling three-set victory over American Sebastian Korda in the previous round, but the effort proved too much for a body still recovering from pectoral surgery in February.

“Very sad to have to pull out of my favorite event,” Kokkinakis wrote on Instagram. “Unfortunately, my arm isn’t quite ready yet after missing a year off. The support is always incredible, and I love playing here. See you next year.”

The withdrawal was particularly painful given Adelaide’s special place in Kokkinakis’ heart, as he revealed he had only played the opening match because it was his hometown tournament. He had hoped that anti-inflammatories would “work some wonders” before his next match, but his withdrawal handed Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot a free pass to the quarter-finals.

Kokkinakis’ injury saga dates back to last year’s Australian Open, where he aggravated the problem during a five-set second-round loss to Jack Draper—his last competitive singles match before Adelaide.

The injury now casts doubt over his participation in the Australian Open, the year’s first Grand Slam, starting this Sunday. Due to his injury layoff, Kokkinakis holds a protected ranking for the tournament and is also scheduled to play doubles alongside compatriot Nick Kyrgios.

-Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus/Reuters