Australian tennis player Thanasi Kokkinakis began struggling with a certain type of fever in 2020, a situation that even forced him to be hooked up and monitored on a machine that assessed his health improvements.
Now, twelve months later, Thanasi is ready to start a new season, but memories of his time in the hospital when he was stuck with a glandular fever are still etched in.
Speaking to News Corp, the former talented young Australian tennis player spoke about those difficult moments by saying, “It’s kind of bad to admit it, but at the same time I told myself at one point that I wasn’t going to die anyway, so I ended up turning it all off and try to sleep because otherwise I would go crazy. “
Kokkinakis continued, “Sometimes the good in me is seen as bad. In general, I’ve never found the right balance between positive and negative.”
So Mark Philippousis is talking about Thanasi Kokkinakis
Australian tennis legend Mark Philippousis is not yet ready to cancel Kokkinakis from tennis and believes the 24-year-old still has the opportunity to make his mark on the ATP tour.
Here are his words: “Thanasi works hard, he definitely has his head on his shoulders, he is really interested in listening and he really appreciates that I am on the field with him sometimes to train.
For such a person I can only give all my time. He is still young and there is no need to panic, but he must understand himself. “I’m not a kid anymore, I’m 24 and I know where I need to be and what it takes to improve myself.”
I honestly think he’s starting to understand it as both a player and an athlete. “Thanasi Kokkinakis is currently number 260 in the world, but in the past he has competed against the best, for example at the Miami Masters 1000 2018 when he shocked the world by defeating 20-time Grand Slam title winner Roger Federer.
Kokkinakis sums up: “If I had to go back and keep losing to everyone I would certainly be asking, ‘Why am I playing tennis? But since I got back on the tour, I’ve been competitive and I’ve beaten some good players.
It makes me realize that if I stay healthy, I actually have the opportunity to do something good in this sport. ”
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