Roland Garros 2nd round qualifier Thanasi Kokkinakis explains what it's like to play with a dead person's tendon in his arm: 'I tried to survive'

On Monday, May 25, Thanasi Kokkinakis defeated Terence Atmane (24 years, 52 ATP), at the end of a game that lasted 4 hours and 21 minutes. The Australian won 6-7 (5), 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 and qualified for the second round of Roland Garros, where he will face Pablo Carreno-Busta (34 years old, 89 ATP).

Thanasi Kokkinakis: “Just a few days ago, I didn't even know if I would play”

In early 2026, Kokkinakis revealed he underwent a tough surgical procedure to recover from unusual arm and chest injuries. The 30-year-old player had half his pectoral removed and played for about 5 years with scar tissue. Now he has an Achilles tendon allograft, meaning he has the Achilles tendon of a deceased person in his arm.

In this context, Kokkinakis lasted over 4 hours in the confrontation with Atmane and then talked about what it's like to play in such a situation.

“It's been probably six or seven months that I haven't even touched a tennis racket. I basically have a brand new arm and shoulder. Every morning I wake up trying to figure out which sensations are normal and which should worry me,” said the world number 855, as quoted by Punto de Break.

“Just a few days ago, I didn't even know if I was going to play. There were people who wanted to come and see me and I told them to stay home because I was honestly afraid of playing a few games and something breaking again. I was very nervous and very scared before the match. When the game started, I just tried to survive with the energy of the moment,” he added.

Kokkinakis talked about how mentally tough it is to play with this arm problem, which fills his mind and often consumes him:

“I'm learning new things every day about my arm. I'm constantly trying to figure out which pains are normal and which could be red flags. Honestly, it's completely consuming my life. It's the first thing I think about every morning when I wake up. Many times, during matches, I don't even think much about the opponent. I just hope my arm holds up.”

“For the last three days I hardly trained because my only priority was to get to the match as healthy as possible. It's a very strange feeling to enter a court thinking first about your arm than your opponent. My only idea was to get to about 100% and then try to compete,” added the Greek-born tennis player.

Thanasi Kokkinakis: “Moments like today are exactly why I keep fighting after so many injuries”

Kokkinakis will also fight in the second round at Roland Garros, but his health remains a priority. Therefore, he is even thinking of retiring if his physical condition does not allow him to play anymore.

“I've always wanted to have at least one full season before I retire to really see how far my body can go. That's why I keep trying to come back again and again. Moments like today are exactly why I keep fighting after so many injuries. When I retire, I know perfectly well that nothing will ever compare to such sensations on a tennis court,” he explained.

“I told my team that I would continue until the next Australian Open. If things didn't go well and my arm continued to not respond, it probably would have been the end for me. Days like today give me a lot of hope that maybe this won't happen and that I can still push a little bit,” concluded Kokkinakis.