Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.

Up-and-coming talent Thanasi Kokkinakis experienced Christmas Eve disappointment as the teenager confirmed he will miss the Australian tennis summer due to shoulder surgery which will keep him off-court until March.

“I’m shattered to let you all know I’m still having issues with my shoulder and won’t be able to play any of the events in Australia this summer,” the 19-year-old confirmed on Instagram. “My team and I had hoped a good rest at the end of the season would fix the problem, but it now turns out I’ll need to have some minor surgery and will be out for the next few months.”

Added the world No. 80: “I’m confident this is just a small setback and having it done now is the best option for the long term.

“I was really pumped for the Aussie summer, and looking forward to playing in Adelaide, Brisbane and especially the Aussie Open, so I’m pretty devastated I’ll miss my favorite events of the year.

“For now I will focus on doing everything I can to recover and get back on the court as quickly as possible. I believe I can come back better and stronger ???? Thanks for all your support and Merry Christmas.”

Kokkinakis was unable to play a weekend exhibition in Tasmania with Lleyton Hewitt and competed in his most recent ATP match last October, a first-round loss in Stockholm.

His next goal would be the Davis Cup first-round tie on grass confirmed this week at Melbourne’s Kooyong club against the US, debut event for Hewitt as Davis captain.

Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.