Kokkinakis admits to having considered retirement on several occasions
Thanasi Kokkinakis spoke to Herald Sun about his career. For many years, the Australian was regarded as one of tennis' great hopefuls, but a series of injuries hampered his progress.
Kokkinakis explains: "I thought I'd make gradual progress towards the top 10 and fight for the Grand Slams. There were tournaments where I thought it was all over for me, because I felt so far behind.
I couldn't see how I could make a living out of it. I wasn't enjoying myself, because I wasn't competitive. I was at rock bottom."
The Australian touches on the subject of mental health, admitting that he suffered depression in 2016 or 2017, periods when he played very little, as he dealt with numerous injuries.
He recounts, "The depression was definitely there. I'd go into bars, feel a lot of anxiety and tell myself I had to get out of here.
I would cry in my room for no reason. I'd get anxious just walking around when there was no one within 100 meters of me.
It was weird and I couldn't really explain it. Over time, things changed and I felt more at ease.
I started going to the gym again, got stronger physically and that helped.
It was a really dark period and I don't want anyone to go through it, because as terrible as the physical pain is, the mental pain is much worse."
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