In his latest stint on the sidelines, Thanasi Kokkinakis is exploring different career avenues.
The 29-year-old Australian is recovering from pectoral reattachment surgery which he underwent earlier this year.
He plans to come back yet there is no official return date set, meaning Kokkinakis is at home in Melbourne as the city enters a wintry period, rather than competing on the clay courts of Roland Garros where last year he came within a set of the fourth round.
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"I've thought about that [life after tennis] earlier in my career when I thought that it was the end for me. But now I'm kind of exploring some different avenues – I'm doing a little bit more of this sort of stuff, some podcasts, I'm doing some TV stuff,” Kokkinakis revealed on this week’s episode of The Sit-Down.
“I'm trying to do some commentary coming up for the French Open, so that'll be fun. And who knows? Some TV shows, some media stuff in the future. I think I've always enjoyed that; I feel pretty comfortable in front of a camera and microphone.
"I try not to look too far ahead, but kind of have one foot through that door to just think about it, because a lot of people… play tennis and then they're like, what's now? Or what's next?
“For me, I kind of wanted to have a little bit of an idea, but yeah, tennis is first and foremost, and I'll ride that out as long as I can.”
Kokkinakis this week has joined the Channel Nine commentary team alongside Todd Woodbridge and Jelena Dokic for the Australian broadcast of Roland Garros.
The former world No.65 has brought unique insights to the coverage, especially when commentating matches featuring fellow Aussies like Alex de Minaur – with whom he remains in close contact while injured – and Alexei Popyrin, Kokkinakis’ first-round victim in an epic five-set battle in Paris last year.
"I feel like I have a nice perspective, sort of playing against these guys and playing against most of the guys on tour, knowing their game,” Kokkinakis said.
“That's something I feel like I probably haven't talked about enough – I feel like I'm pretty good with sort of scouting opponents and talking about strengths and weaknesses.
“I'd like to give people listening or watching an in-depth sort of view of what's actually going on on the court.”
It’s a shift in gears for Kokkinakis, who now finds himself on the opposite side of the player-media dynamic.
During a pro career spanning more than a decade, Kokkinakis has cycled through countless on-court interviews, press conferences, TV appearances, and media mixed zones.
So what else has he not talked about enough, or something he wishes he’d been asked more about during that time?
“That’s a good question. I don’t know if I can answer that,” Kokkinakis said. "I feel like for tennis, you're very sort of clean-cut. You can't really say too much.
“I'd kind of be curious to see what everyone's life is like away from the tennis. Whether everyone is kind of based on tennis, everything they do is for their tennis, or they're trying to enjoy their life and balance it out a little bit.
“What they do in their spare time I think is an interesting one, rather than just generic answers: ‘I get to sleep, and I eat well, and get ready for training the next day’.
"I wouldn’t mind if players opened up a little bit more. I don’t think it's really up to the journos; I think it’s more sort of what the players are willing to give them and spill out, because a lot of them are kind of scared about potentially the repercussions that they may have if they're open and honest.”
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