'I'm struggling': Two Aussie injury concerns heading into the US Open; Chris O'Connell retires mid-match

Thanasi Kokkinakis receiving treatment at Roland Garros. (Getty/Robert Szaniszlo)

Thanasi Kokkinakis and Alexei Popyrin arrive at the US Open under separate injury clouds, with the former confessing that he's in "a race against the clock" to be fully ready.

The US Open main draw was released in the early hours of Friday morning AEST, with Kokkinakis dealt a horror opening match against in-form 12th seed Rafael Jódar.

Kokkinakis, 30, returned to singles action in May after four months out. In February last year, he underwent high-risk pectoral reattachment surgery in Melbourne.

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Earlier this month at the Cincinnati Masters, the South Australian fell short in a gruelling three-hour tussle against Nuno Borges, collapsing to the floor with severe cramps before rolling his ankle on match point in the third set tiebreak.

"I'm struggling. I'm struggling," Kokkinakis admitted in an interview with Stan Sport.

"I'm trying my best. It's going to be a race against the clock. It's been tough prep, to be honest.

"I had a pretty significant injury, so I'm trying to give myself every chance. I think it's usually a bit longer than what I'm trying to squeeze it into, but I'm trying to take it every day, doing everything I can rehab-wise, and we'll see what happens."

His fellow Aussie compatriot, Alexei Popyrin, heads into Flushing Meadows with a poor run of form, having lost in the first round 15 times in 2026.

The world No.130, who reached a career-high No.19 just 12 months ago, hopes to replicate a similar run he experienced at the 2024 US Open, where he defeated Novak Djokovic en route to a fourth round appearance.

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However, Popyrin also has to be wary of an injury concern.

"I felt [it] a little bit in my groin in my last match and decided not to take the risk before a really big tournament," he told Stan Sport.

"It's been eight days, and it's looking good, but we've still got to be a little bit cautious preparing for the match."

The 27-year-old Sydneysider has been paired against qualifier and 2019 US Open semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov in the first round, who has the luxury of extra rest thanks to a walkover in the last round of qualifying.

Meanwhile, Chris O'Connell was reduced to tears after taking a nasty tumble, causing him to pull the pin at one set apiece despite serving for the match in the second set.

The US Open main draw commences on Monday morning at 1am AEST, where four Aussies will take to the court.

Following on from Tristan Schoolkate and Storm Hunter successfully qualifying, there are a total of 15 Australians in the singles main draw, with Alex de Minaur once again leading the charge as the sixth seed.

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