Tennis Australia has given Thanasi Kokkinakis a wildcard entry into next week’s French Open in hopes of boosting his bid to return to the top 100 in the world rankings. Kokkinakis, currently ranked world No. 104, will join Kim Birrell as Tennis Australia’s wildcard recipient for the claycourt major.
Kokkinakis’ best result at the French Open was reaching the round of 32 in his debut in 2015, but he lost in the first round in his only other two main draw appearances in 2017 and 2022.
He has had a good season, making it to the second round of this year’s Australian Open, advancing to the semi-finals at Adelaide International Two, and winning his fifth ATP Challenger title in Bahrain in mid-February.
Kokkinakis is looking to reach his career-high ranking of No. 69 and has few points to defend for the rest of this season. He has already absorbed his excellent start to last year in the opening months of 2023 as part of the ATP Tour’s 12-month rolling ranking system.
“It feels great to be back on the clay. I feel like I’m playing well at the moment and have some great memories playing at the French,” Kokkinakis said.
“I really appreciate getting the wildcard, and can’t wait to compete in Paris again. I’ve had a few solid wins on the clay recently, so I hope I can build on that momentum and get some good results.”
Kokkinakis increases an already-strong Australian presence in the men’s draw, where Alex de Minaur and Nick Kyrgios – if he plays.
