Australia has produced a handful of impressive talents when it comes to tennis. Ranking amongst the top of this line comes Thanasi Kokkinakis. The Aussie is arguably one of the most splendid players who has amassed a massive following with his thunderous counterpuncher skills. Moreover, fans have often witnessed straight nitro produced by the young talent at his contests. However, his career has been marred with injuries.

Despite multiple physical concerns hampering his performance and notably limiting his time on the court, Kokkinakis never backed down. The 2022 season saw him deliver impeccable showdowns in Adelaide and later, lifting the Australian Open doubles titles with his mate, Nick Kyrgios. While the tennis community shares the common misconception that the 28-year-old draws his roots from Australia, that is not the case. Well, not entirely. His parent’s background stems from a different nation altogether. Bearing that in mind, let’s delve into the details surrounding his unspoken origin.

Thanasi Kokkinakis’ parents hail from Greece

Born on April 10, 1996, in Adelaide, Thanasi Kokkinakis has lived as an Australian native. The gifted professional went as high as World No. 65 in singles while claiming the No. 15 spot in doubles. To much amazement, in the junior circuit, his younger self sat comfortably on the No. 10 rank, which dictated volumes about his on-court flair. But, a major part of his life has been overshadowed by lowkey facts unknown about him.

Trevor Kokkinakis and Voula Kokkinakis, the parents of the tennis star, are born Greek nationals. They were both welcomed in the cities of Kalamata and Tripoli which are a part of the Peloponnese peninsula of Greece, respectively. This, in turn, makes the tennis starlet bilingual. Notably, Thanasi’s father, Trevor, who is an engineer by profession, moved to Australia when he was 5 years old. However, when he briefly visited his home country for a vacation, he crossed paths with his future wife when she was 23. Later, they tied the knot and permanently shifted to Adelaide.

His mother, Voula, is reportedly a homemaker. She caters to her family’s needs and majorly oversaw the upbringing of Thanasi and his two siblings, Christina and Pan Kokkinakis. Even though the tennis star was brought up in an Australian household, his parents never ignored their Greek roots. So much so, that they provided the former World No. 65 with a Greek given name. Thanasis, short for Athanasios, translates to ‘eternal life’ or ‘immortal’.

His father played a major role during his budding years as a tennis player. Subsequently, following his son’s success on the Tour, he voiced his elation acknowledging Thanasi’s triumphs.

Thanasi Kokkinakis’ father lauded his triumphant comeback at the Adelaide International

In 2019, the Aussie tennis pro made waves after he registered a comeback victory in his hometown, Adelaide. The 28-year-old scripted a jaw-dropping victory against No. 4 seed Francis Tiafoe. Notably, he recovered from a set down and sent the American packing with a score line of 3-6, 7-5, 6-1.

Later, while talking to ‘The Greek Herald’, his father heaped praises on the young talent’s “resilience” that assisted him to produce noteworthy results and streamline his tennis career. He said, “I feel proud not only for his latest successes but mostly for the resilience and the strength of character he showed to come back and get his tennis career on track.”

Trevor Kokkinakis also exalted his son’s mental toughness which enabled him to navigate through several injury concerns. “The last five years he has been through a lot with injuries and the mental battles forced on by those injuries. But he persisted and we are all proud of him.”

While most would believe that the tennis star’s Australian upbringing prevented him from touching down on his Greek heritage, they need a revision. To much amazement, Kokkinakis had also revealed that his bilingual side helped him embrace his native language!

“I can string together most sentences”: the Australian star on speaking Greek

In 2015, Thanasi Kokkinakis disclosed that he was versed in the Greek language when speaking to the ATP Tour. Though the tennis star can mostly understand sentences and recite them, he sometimes relies on the help of an occasional English word to bridge the gap.

He said, “I do speak Greek. Not as fluently as my parents would like, but I’m not bad. I understand everything. I can string together most sentences, but some I struggle, have to throw an English word in there.”

The 28-year-old is currently in action at the Canadian Open. He commenced his hardcourt campaign in the event’s qualifiers and has managed to thwart formidable challenges. Kokkinakis will next lock horns with Polish star Hubert Hurkacz in hopes of furthering his agenda in Montreal!