The day after Kokkinakis admitted physical torture was plaguing his progress. Subsequently, he retired hurt when playing doubles with Nick Kyrgios with his compatriot also complaining of an abdominal issue.

Kokkinakis was looking to make the third round of the Australian Open for the first time when injury struck against Draper. He had match points during the contest and Kokkinakis actually came under scrutiny for the medical time out he received on court.

Thanasi Kokkinakis receives message from Boris Becker

It was announced yesterday that Kokkinakis has now undergone surgery on his troublesome pectoral injury. The hope will be that he can put his injury problems behind him and start to really kick on.

At 28-years-old, Kokkinakis has never been beyond the third round of any of the four Grand Slam events, whilst he’s never been higher than number 65 in the ATP world rankings.

Becker is a man who has been there and worn the t-shirt when it comes to winning things in the sport of tennis. He sent Kokkinakis some well wishes, posting on Kokkinakis’ social media post with the words: “Good luck with the rehabilitation.”

Kokkinakis is going to be out of action for some time while he recovers. However, it’s not clear at this stage when he will return to the tennis court and come back onto the tour.

Current ATP players send messages to Thanasi Kokkinakis

As a popular player on the tour, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Kokkinakis has received lots of messages from current players on the ATP Tour and everyone is rooting for him to get back quickly.

Borna Coric said on Instagram: “Quick recovery buddy, wish you all the best”, posting alongside a prayer emoji and also a muscle emoji.

Davis Cup teammate Matt Ebden also messaged him. He said: “Ready for the DC Finals. Heal well now and enjoy the time out.”

Finally, Justin Visser is also backing Kokkinakis to come back stronger. He simply said: “You’ve got this”, in a short and sweet message sent to the Australian performer.

Kokkinakis will need to ensure that he’s completely fixed up before returning to the tour and when he does, the challenge will be to enjoy the strong run that he so desperately craves at a major event.