Defending champion Thanasi Kokkinakis (SA), along with fellow Aussies Chris O’Connell (NSW) and Jordan Thompson (NSW), have been awarded wildcards for week one of the Adelaide International.
They will be joined by fellow Australians Priscilla Hon (Qld) and Jaimee Fourlis (Vic) who have received wildcards in the women’s main draw, when action gets underway at The Drive this Sunday 1 January.
Hometown hero and fan favourite Kokkinakis is set to return to defend his Adelaide International crown.
Earlier this year, Kokkinakis won his first title on the ATP Tour when he defeated Arthur Rinderknech in the Adelaide final.
Kokkinakis then went on to win the Australian Open 2022 doubles title alongside best mate Nick Kyrgios when they defeated fellow Aussies Matthew Ebden (WA) and Max Purcell (NSW) in the first all-Australian Grand Slam doubles final since the Australian Open in 1980.
O’Connell was unranked at the beginning of 2019 and broke into top 200 in September 2019. O’Connell achieved a career-high ranking of 78 last month after winning two ATP Challenger Tour titles this year.
World No.84 Thompson has won two ATP Challenger Tour titles this year including Surbiton, Great Britain in May and Columbus, USA in September. Thompson reached the second rounds at Wimbledon and the US Open this year.
Hon won three ITF World Tennis Tour titles this year and reached the second round of the Adelaide International in January, scoring her first top-20 win over former world No.2 Petra Kvitova (CZE) in the first round.
Fourlis also won three ITF World Tennis Tour titles in 2022, reaching a career high ranking of 147 in July this year. Fourlis was a mixed doubles’ finalist alongside Jason Kubler (Qld) at the Australian Open 2022.
The combined WTA 500 and ATP 250 tennis tournament will feature 21-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, world No.6 Felix Auger-Aliassime andworld No.7 Daniil Medvedev.
Four of the world’s top 10 women will also begin the new year in Adelaide, with world No.2 Ons Jabeur, world No.5 Aryna Sabalenka, world No.8 Daria Kasatkina and world No.9 Veronika Kudermetova all entered.
Tickets are on sale via Ticketmaster. Tickets start at $20 for adults with free tickets available for children at all sessions.
The Adelaide International is proudly supported by the SA Government through the SA Tourism Commission and will be held at the Drive from 1-14 January 2023.
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