Kokkinakis hopeful for French Open

Australian tennis star Thanasi Kokkinakis is targeting a French Open return as he continues to recover from a knee injury suffered in an on-court fall.

Thanasi Kokkinakis is targeting a French Open return as he continues to recover from a knee injury. (AAP) Source: AAP

Thanasi Kokkinakis is back on track for the French Open as he continues to recover from a knee injury sustained in a freak fall.

The luckless Australian tennis ace needed crutches and a knee brace after tumbling over advertising padding during a match at last month's Monte Carlo Masters.

Later in the tournament, German star Alexander Zverev claimed Kokkinakis had broken his kneecap during a heated exchange with chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani after tossing away one of the on-court signs.

But Kokkinakis's father now says his son is targeting a return for the Roland Garros grand slam starting on May 21.

"Injury progressing well. He is back on court hitting lightly. RG is the plan," Trevor Kokkinakis said on Thursday.

Still on the comeback trail after two years out of the game battling depressing shoulder, back, groin, pectoral and elbow injuries, Kokkinakis will need to do survive three French Open qualifying matches unless he receives Tennis Australia's reciprocal wildcard.

One of only two players to have beaten Roger Federer in 2018, Kokkinakis has climbed back from 993rd in the world during his lay-off to 152nd but still sits well outside the direct-entry cut-off for the claycourt major.

He played on an injury-protected ranking last year and pushed Japanese star Kei Nishikori hard in an encouraging four-set first-round loss.

Kokkinakis is recovering and practising at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in France.