By Chris Oddo | Sunday, December 27, 2015
Thanasi Kokkinakis will miss the 2016 Australian Open due to a shoulder surgery.
Photo Source: Mark Peterson/Corleve
Rising Aussie star Thanasi Kokkinakis will miss the Australian summer due to a “minor” shoulder surgery.
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The 19-year-old Adelaide native had hoped that resting the injury during the off-season would bring him back to perfect health but the shoulder didn’t respond to rest.
“I’m shattered to let you all know I’m still having issues with my shoulder and won’t be able to play any of the events in Australia this summer,” Kokkinakis wrote on his Instagram page. “My team and I had hoped a good rest at the end of the season would fix the problem, but it now turns out I’ll need to have some minor surgery and will be out for the next few months.”
Kokkinakis. who reached a career-high ranking of 69 during the 2015 season, went 13-19 at the ATP-level in 2015. The Aussie went 16-2 at the qualifying level, reaching six main draws the hard way.
“I’m confident this is just a small setback and having it done now is the best option for the long term. … For now I will focus on doing everything I can to recover and get back on the court as quickly as possible.”