The return of the prodigal child

We haven’t seen Kokki since AO 2025, he’s coming back in his tournament. In what shape is he?

First rather encouraging element: he played two doubles matches last week alongside Nick Kyrgios. On the other hand, his statements are far from reassuring. I quote:“I am very poorly prepared”,“if it weren’t in Australia, I wouldn’t even consider playing”.

Obviously, Kokkinakis is still a player of immense talent. He has already shown in the past an ability to come back quickly after long injuries. But the context is different: he is now 30 years old (and no longer 20), and above all he is coming off a very serious injury that required surgery. It’s hard to imagine him immediately competitive and in top form.

His career has unfortunately been constantly hampered by injuries. When you know his potential, it’s almost crazy to think that his best ranking was only world No. 65.

On the other side of the net, Sebastian Korda arrives after a Brisbane tournament that can be described as decent. He beat Vacherot, benefited from Lehecka’s retirement, then lost to a solid Michelsen. An overall serious match, but once again marked by a lack of precision in the key moments — a recurring flaw for the American. He then withdrew from doubles citing “fatigue,” without any physical discomfort being visible during his singles match.

On the positive side for Korda: he loves this tournament, with two finals and a semifinal in three appearances. He also leads 3–0 in head-to-heads against Kokkinakis: two clear wins, and a third obtained in Washington in 2024 by saving a totally improbable match point.

The analysis of this match remains complicated given how many unknowns there are regarding the Australian’s physical condition.