Emotional Thanasi Kokkinakis Tears Up After Brisbane Doubles Comeback Win with Kyrgios

Greek-Australian Star Credits Team for Support Through Injury Recovery in Challenging Year

Greek City Times | January 5, 2026

Greek-Australian tennis star Thanasi Kokkinakis fought back tears during an emotional on-court interview with Nick Kyrgios after the "Special Ks" duo clinched a thrilling comeback victory in their Brisbane International doubles opener.

The all-Australian pair of Kokkinakis and Kyrgios rallied from a set down to defeat compatriots Matthew Ebden and American Rajeev Ram 5-7, 6-4, 10-8 in a tense match tiebreak at Pat Rafter Arena.

For Kokkinakis, the win marked a significant milestone—his first competitive match in 12 months following pectoral surgery in early 2025.

"It's crazy. I haven't played a match in 12 months. [I had] surgery a year ago with no guarantees that I'd be back playing," an emotional Kokkinakis told the crowd.

"It's been a long year; a challenging one. A lot of times, I thought the game was probably done for me, so I've chipped away at it."

Plagued by a severe pectoral tear that worsened over the years, Kokkinakis underwent a risky operation in early 2025—described as the first of its kind in professional tennis. Surgeons removed extensive scar tissue, excised much of the damaged pectoral muscle, and used an Achilles tendon graft from a deceased donor to reattach the remaining muscle to the humerus bone in his shoulder.

The 29-year-old world No.65 then turned to praise his dedicated team for their unwavering support through the grueling recovery, visibly breaking down in tears mid-sentence.

Kokkinakis is competing only in doubles this week in Brisbane but will make his long-awaited singles return next week at the Adelaide International—his home city event. He will enter the 2026 Australian Open main draw using his protected ranking of No.84.

Partner Kyrgios, also making a comeback, shared the joy of being back on court together.

"I never thought I'd see the day that me and Thanasi were doing extended warm-ups for a doubles match, but here we are," Kyrgios quipped post-match. "It feels good to be back and competing."

The Special Ks now face sixth seeds Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul in the quarter-finals.

Kyrgios kicks off his singles campaign on Tuesday against unseeded American Aleksandar Kovacevic, while still awaiting confirmation on one of the remaining Australian Open wildcards.

A heartfelt moment for Greek-Australian tennis fans—welcome back, Thanasi! 🇬🇷🎾