Melbourne VIC 3004, Australia, 1 August 2016 | tennis.com.au

Thanasi Kokkinakis has announced he will play his first match in nearly a year at the upcoming Rio Olympic Games.

The 20-year-old South Australian has been sidelined since October 2015 with a shoulder injury, which required surgery in late December.

Originally hoping to make a comeback ahead of the French Open, Kokkinakis had to delay his return for a number of months as his recovery took longer than anticipated.

The popular Aussie took to his social media accounts over the weekend to announce the good news.

“As a kid you grow up watching the Olympics on TV and hope to be there one day. Looking forward to getting to Rio and being around the best athletes in the world,” he wrote on Facebook.

“Also playing my first match in 10 months … Massive thank you to everyone who has helped me recover and get back to this point.”

Kokkinakis peaked at world No.69 in June 2015 but currently sits at 449th due to his inactivity.