Tennis: Aussie star Jordan Thompson begins 2022 in style

Not everything went to plan for Jordan Thompson in 2021 but the Aussie tennis star is already bouncing back.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 05: Jordan Thompson of Australia plays a backhand in his match against Christopher O'Connell of Australia during day three of the Melbourne Summer Events at Melbourne Park on January 05, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)

Jordan Thompson has kicked off his Australian summer with a come-from-behind win after a tough end to last year that included him contracting Covid-19.

Fellow Sydneysider Chris O’Connell burst out of the blocks at Melbourne Park with some brilliant shot-making, but Thompson turned the match with a break in the 12th game of the second set.

Former world No.43 Thompson, now ranked 75, dominated the deciding set and cruised into round two at the Melbourne Summer Set event with a 1-6 7-5 6-4 victory.

Watch Tennis Live with beIN SPORTS on Kayo. Live Coverage of ATP + WTA Tour Tournaments including Every Finals Match. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial >

Joining Thompson in the second round was Alexei Popyrin, who downed Italian Stefano Travaglia 7-6(7-5) 6-3, but qualifier Rinky Hijikata’s run ended at American Maxime Cressy’s hands.

“I didn’t think I played a bad first set, but I thought Chris played some of the best tennis he’s played,” Thompson said.

“He came out, he was on fire, he jumped me, his ball-striking was incredible and he was serving well.

“(But) I just had to hang around and, thankfully, I got off to a decent start in the second and sort of just edged my way back into the match and I think I competed quite well.”

Thompson has opened his account in 2022. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)

Thompson lost six of his last eight matches at the end of an otherwise positive season last year, where he made the third round at Wimbledon and was one point from doing the same at the US Open.

His virus diagnosis – while still unvaccinated – was untimely, costing him his Davis Cup spot and ending up dragging on for several weeks after his Sweden-based coach Peter Luczak also caught it.

“I thought it was good timing, right after my last tournament, just before Davis Cup, (because) I thought I would have got rid of it quicker,” Thompson said.

“But it took nearly two weeks to get rid of. I didn’t necessarily feel bad – I was just tired. I had one bad day, where I had a bit of a temperature, but that was it.

“The thing that killed me is I didn’t want to give it to anyone else, so I sort of locked myself up for two weeks and then, unfortunately, I gave it to my coach and that put me up for another week.

“I literally did nothing for three weeks, apart from eat rubbish and watch TV. That made it worse, because I lost a few kilos of muscle and I was pretty skinny.”

Thompson was struck down by Covid-19 in 2021 but is back on the court and ready for a big year. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)

Thompson was vaccinated before leaving Sweden, then endured a brutal pre-season return – he was “shaking” and “weak” in his early sessions – as he worked his way back to full fitness.

Meanwhile, the upset of the day belonged to lucky loser Henri Laaksonen, who dispatched fifth-seeded Frenchman Benoit Paire in three sets.

Alex Molcan, Emil Ruusuvuori and Ricardas Berankis rounded out the day’s winners.