‘About time!’ – Thanasi Kokkinakis candid on six-year ATP rankings milestone
For the first time since February 2016, Thanasi Kokkinakis is back inside the ATP top 100.
With this week’s ATP rankings update, the Australian Open doubles champion is now 94th in the world in singles.
In January, Kokkinakis’ run to a maiden ATP title in his home town of Adelaide saw him rise from 145th in the world to 103rd, climbing to 94th in the three weeks since.
“Bout time,” Kokkinakis commented after retweeting the announcement.
Bout time?? https://t.co/ZwgEx91lDZ
— Thanasi Kokkinakis (@TKokkinakis) February 7, 2022
On his run to his Adelaide title, Kokkinakis ousted top 50 talents Benoit Paire, John Isner and 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic, before defeating world number 58 Arthur Rinderknech in the final.
“I wouldn’t want to win my first title anywhere else,” he told his home crowd after the triumph.
The Aussie had his breakthrough season in 2015, where he climbed from 149th in the rankings at the start of the year to a still career-high 69th in July, before finishing the season ranked 80th.
However, a 19-year-old Kokkinakis then fell out of the top 100 on 22nd February 2016.
Numerous injury woes, including a left shoulder injury and right pectoral muscle pull in 2016 alone, meant he did not return for nearly six years, until now.
Thanks to his unexpected Australian Open triumph alongside compatriot and friend Nick Kyrgios, Kokkinakis has also jumped from 434th to 45th in the ATP doubles rankings.
The last time he was ranked inside 100th in the world was in June 2018, just before the end of that year’s Roland Garros.
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