Thansai Kokkinakis returned to singles competition with a hard-fought victory at the Adelaide International, the tournament where he recorded his first ATP title. The 29-year-old prevailed against two-time finalist Sebastian Korda, edging a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3) win in his first singles match since facing Jack Draper at last year’s Australian Open.

Last week Kokkinakis tested the waters after pectoral surgery in February 2025 by playing doubles with Nick Kyrgios in Brisbane. On Monday he converted that preparation into a singles triumph but could not fully enjoy the result because of persistent right-shoulder trouble that dates back to his first surgery in 2015.

“After 12 months of rehab I really wanted to start here. Ideally the tournament would have been probably a few weeks later, just to give myself a little bit more prep,” Kokkinakis said. “But, yeah, it’s my favorite tournament in the world. It’s something I’ll never forget eventually when I hang up the racquets, and not taking these moments for granted, that’s for sure.”

Despite the win, the former champion admitted the match left him uneasy. Before mounting his comeback in the second set, Kokkinakis said he was “very close” to throwing in the towel. “It’s tough. It puts a dampener on the win, honestly. I felt like I was in autopilot mode,” he explained. “Usually I would be celebrating and probably yelling by the end of it. Obviously I’m happy that I won, but most of my focus is to how my arm is going to be.

“I need to go through these matches to see if I have a chance at AO.”

Next up is a meeting with last year’s surprise Shanghai champion Valentin Vacherot, a first-time encounter. Kokkinakis struck a pragmatic tone about the days ahead: “I feel like I know what tomorrow’s looking like for me, and I don’t love it. I’m going to do everything I can in 48 hours to see if I can give myself a chance on Wednesday,” he asserted.