Playing for the first time in an ATP Tour event in his home country, Kokkinakis secured his standings with mixed wins over John Millman, Frances Tiafoe and Mikael Ymer.

The 25-year-old is also one of four Australian men to receive a singles wildcard for this month’s Australian Open, joining Alex Bolt, Aleks Vukic and Chris O’Connell.

Kokkinakis discovered his wild card after his victory from behind over Tiafoe in the second round and will now make a sixth appearance in the main draw of the Melbourne Park Grand Slam.

He has much higher ranking goals than what he achieved in Adelaide this week, especially since his career high of No.69 comes shortly after his 19th birthday.

A series of injuries and illnesses kept Kokkinakis from realizing his potential, but he proved to be a strength when he was in good health.

“It’s just a reward for all the work I’ve done behind the scenes,” he said.

“There was talk of what I had been doing for a while – I even thought about it a few times myself. Now playing good tennis and beating quality players, I’m really happy.

“Again, this proves why I keep coming back after more difficult times; why I keep wanting to play. I had a pretty healthy year last year and hope the trend is on the rise.

Kokkinakis said there was now a greater focus on his recovery from his series of horrific setbacks and generally more “awareness” of what is working for him.

“I (ensure) to give myself every chance to be able to save matches. My physical trainer, Jona (Segal), is doing a good job, ”he said.

“It was huge. I took him with him for the last kind of a year and a half. This is the healthiest I have been, so I am thrilled.