Tennis Australia hopes to supercharge Thanasi Kokkinakis’ bid to return to the top 100 – and stay there – with a wildcard into next week’s French Open.
Kokkinakis, 27, joins Kim Birrell, who will play her first grand slam main draw match outside of Australia, as Tennis Australia’s men’s and women’s wildcard recipients for the claycourt major.
Kim Birrell will contest a grand slam main draw for the first time outside Australia.Credit: Getty Images
The world No.104 Kokkinakis’ best result at the French Open was reaching the round of 32 on debut in 2015, but he lost in the first round at his only other two main draw appearances in 2017 and 2022.
Kokkinakis made the second round at this year’s Australian Open, as well as advancing to the semi-finals at Adelaide International Two and winning his fifth ATP Challenger title in Bahrain in mid-February.
He is primed to launch an assault at his career-high ranking of No.69, with few points to defend for the rest of this season, having already absorbed his excellent start to last year in the opening months of 2023 as part of the ATP Tour’s 12-month rolling ranking system.
“It feels great to be back on the clay. I feel like I’m playing well at the moment, and have some great memories playing at the French,” Kokkinakis said.
Thanasi Kokkinakis has scored a main draw wildcard into the French Open.Credit: Getty Images
“I really appreciate getting the wildcard, and can’t wait to compete in Paris again. I’ve had a few solid wins on the clay recently, so I hope I can build on that momentum and get some good results.”
Kokkinakis increases an already-strong Australian presence in the men’s draw, where Alex de Minaur and Nick Kyrgios – if he plays – will be seeded, and Jason Kubler, Alexei Popyrin, Chris O’Connell, Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell are also direct entrants.
Kyrgios’ management remains tight-lipped about the world No.26’s intentions despite the French Open starting on Monday. He has not played in a professional event since October last year, after withdrawing from this year’s Australian Open due to a knee injury, before undergoing surgery.
The Australian star last played at Roland-Garros six years ago, but revealed in December he intended to end his tournament exile because his girlfriend, Costeen Hatzi, wanted to visit Paris.
Birrell could be Australia’s sole representative in the women’s draw, given Ajla Tomljanovic and Daria Saville are both recovering from knee injuries and have not played this year. They have not withdrawn from the tournament, but it would be a surprise if either played, especially Saville.
The 25-year-old Queenslander has slashed her ranking by more than 60 places to a career-best No.111 thanks to winning a round at Melbourne Park, as well as claiming a $60,000 title in Florida and reaching her first WTA quarter-final in Mexico in February.
“I’m so excited to be playing main draw of Roland Garros this year,” Birrell said.
“It’s an honour to receive the wildcard, and I can’t wait to be out there competing and playing my heart out on one of the world’s biggest stages.
“I’m proud of the hard work I’ve put in and the progress I’ve made, especially over the last few months, and I’m feeling confident that I can produce my best tennis against the best players in the world.”
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