Kokkinakis wins epic five-setter against Atmane thanks to ‘Achilles’
Injured Aussie tennis player Thanasi Kokkinakis has won a five-set saga using new-found warrior power forged by his ‘Achilles’ shoulder’ but will the Ancient Greek gods keep smiling in France?
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Injury-plagued Australian tennis star Thanasi Kokkinakis has won an epic tennis battle worthy of the gods after having his shoulder strengthened by “Achilles*”.
While Kokkinakis didn’t receive direct help from the mythical warrior Achilles of Ancient Greek mythology, the tennis ace recently underwent surgery to repair his damaged shoulder using the donated Achilles tendon from a deceased person.
Despite the successful surgery, the tennis star had been battling pain and uncertainty over his future in the sport and had set himself a 2027 Australian Open retirement deadline if his troubled body was still giving him grief.
But, after one of his trademark dogged five-set* grand slam* marathon wins, this time at the French Open, the South Australian has new hope of continuing his tennis career.
Kokkinakis produced an epic final set comeback, coming from 2-5 down to claim a 6-7 (5), 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory over Frenchman Terence Atmane in four hours 18 minutes.
The 30-year-old only entered the Roland Garros, also known as the French Open, due to his injury-protected ranking after several years ruined by shoulder problems, leading to the radical Achilles transplant*.
It was a surgery that had never been done on a tennis player.
Kokkinakis revealed after his epic win in Paris on Monday night that every day remains a battle, with the player learning more about himself and his body on his attempted return to full-time professional tennis.
“I said to my team, I’m going to play until the Aussie Open next year. If stuff is not going well and my arm doesn’t feel great, then that will probably be it for me,” Kokkinakis told the media in Paris.
“Days like today give me a lot of hope that’s probably not going to be it, and I can keep pushing.
“I’m trying to kind of work out what my new normal is and what I should be feeling, and if there’s some soreness, is that alarm bells that stuff is going to get really bad, or it’s part of the process.
“I’m learning stuff every day, and every day I’m trying to work out some things to try and help it and strengthen it.
“It’s the first thing I think when I wake up in the morning, to be honest. It does consume my life.
“It’s tough mentally because a lot of times when I’m playing the opponent, I don’t even care. I just hope my arm is all right.”
Kokkinakis missed almost the entire 2025 season after injuring his shoulder at the 2025 Australian Open and his ranking has since plummeted to No. 855 in the world.
He won his comeback match at the Adelaide International in January, but couldn’t take the court for his second round and pulled out of the grand slam in Melbourne.
The former world No. 65 played through two qualifying matches at an ATP Challenger in Zagreb, Croatia, a fortnight ago, but was unable to take the court in the main draw round of 32.
There was no certainty he would make an appearance at the French Open.
“I had some people flying in, and I told them to stay home because I didn’t want to play a few games and something would go bad,” he said.
“I was very scared, very nervous to go out there, but when I got going, I just played on energy.
“I’ve missed so much time in my career, and I feel like time and time again I’ve been able to prove (myself) and have some good wins after that time.
“But I think to come back after such little tennis on a Grand Slam stage and in these conditions against a good player from France, as well, it’s probably my best mental effort considering where I was.”
In winning the match, Kokkinakis advances to the second round and will face Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta on Wednesday.
Fellow Aussie Alex de Minaur also made it through to the second round after storming to a 6-4 6-4 6-2 win over England’s Toby Samuel.
ACHILLES SHOULDER SURGERY EXPLAINED
Some people with very damaged shoulders who are still young and active are eligible to get Achilles transplants to repair severe rotator cuff* tears or fix very bad bone loss in the shoulder joint.
The Achilles tendon*, which connects the calf muscle to the heel bone, is the thickest and strongest tendon in the body, making it the most durable option for repairing the shoulder, which needs to be able to swing at different angles and bear weight when picking up objects and playing sport.
The Achilles used in the transplant has to be provided by someone who had registered to be an organ or tissue donor* before they passed away.
The Achilles tendon is named after the legendary Greek warrior, described by Homer* in the epic poem the Iliad. Achilles is said to have been dipped in the river Styx as a baby by his mother to make him indestructible, but because she held him by his heels, those parts of his body remained weak spots.
In mythology, Achilles dies near the end of the Trojan War* when he is shot in the heel with a poisoned arrow – which is where the term “Achilles’ heel*” comes from.
POLL
GLOSSARY
- Achilles: the mythical Ancient Greek warrior son of the sea-nymph Thetis and the mortal King Peleus. Achilles was the strongest warrior in the army of Agamemnon in the Trojan War. Achilles also refers to the Achilles tendon, which joins the calf muscle to the heel bone and enables us to walk, run, jump and stand on tip toes
- five-set: there are five sets played in a men’s Grand Slam tennis game, with the first to win three sets the winner. If the first three sets are won by the same person that person becomes the winner and the final two sets aren’t played
- grand slam: the four most prestigious tennis tournaments: the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. A “Grand Slam” is also a term used to refer to winning all these tournaments in a single year
- transplant: surgically adding a body part, piece of tissue or organ
- rotator cuff: a group of four muscles and their tendons that surround the shoulder joint, allowing you to lift and rotate your arm while keeping the joint in place
- tendon: tough, fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone and an essential component in movements of the body
- donor: someone who agrees to donate their organs and bodily tissue to medical use, including saving other people’s lives, after they have died. People can also donate some organs while still alive in some cases as well as blood and other bodily cells or fluids
- Homer: a legendary Ancient Greek poet who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey
- Trojan War: a legendary war from Greek mythology fought between the Greeks and the city of Troy in Anatolia (modern day Turkey) in which Helen of Greek Sparta was kidnapped and taken to Troy after trickery from the goddess Aphrodite and the kings of Greece united to get Helen back. The war raged for 10 years and involved interception from the gods and goddesses before the Greeks won the battle by sending in a Trojan horse with their best warriors inside
- Achilles’ heel: someone’s weak spot
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QUICK QUIZ
1. How did Thanasi Kokkinakis end up with an Achilles tendon in his shoulder?
2. When is he considering retiring from Tennis if his shoulder proves too painful to compete?
3. Which tennis season did he miss after injuring his shoulder?
4. How long was Kokkinakis’s winning match against Terence Atmane?
5. Which Grand Slam competition is Kokkinakis currently competing in?
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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Repurposed body parts
Using a strong tendon from a different part of the body is a new surgery to help people with injuries like Kokkinakis.
What other muscles/body parts could be used to repair other parts of the body that often cause people problems and issues?
Make some suggestions below;
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Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science, Health and Physical Education, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking
2. Extension
Do you think this might be a career comeback for Kokkinakis?
What else might he do to boost his confidence now that his shoulder might be stronger to overcome the mental hurdles?
Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking
VCOP ACTIVITY
Read this!
A headline on an article – or a title on your text – should capture the attention of the audience, telling them to read this now. So choosing the perfect words for a headline or title is very important.
Create three new headlines for the events that took place in this article. Remember, what you write and how you write it will set the pace for the whole text, so make sure it matches.
Read out your headlines to a partner and discuss what the article will be about based on the headline you created. Discuss the tone and mood you set in just your few, short words. Does it do the article justice? Will it capture the audience’s attention the way you hoped? Would you want to read more?
Consider how a headline or title is similar to using short, sharp sentences throughout your text. They can be just as important as complex ones. Go through the last text you wrote and highlight any short, sharp sentences that capture the audience.