Thanasi Kokkinakis concedes his debilitating pectoral muscle injury will likely force him to pull out of his hotly-anticipated 'Special Ks' doubles reunion with Nick Kyrgios.

Australian doubles pair James Duckworth and Aleksandar Vukic have eased into the second round of the men's doubles after opponents Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis retired during the second set of their match on John Cain Arena.

The Special K duo of Kyrgios and Kokkinakis retire in the second set against Vukic and Duckworth, while top Australian seed Alex de Minaur progresses to the third round of the men's singles at Melbourne Park.

Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis are back in the Australian Open men's doubles draw for the first time since winning the title in

Injury-riddled Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios were forced to retire early in their men's doubles reunion at Melbourne Park after a set and a half.

The apologetic Aussie was plainly ‘shattered’ to tell his great mate Nick Kyrgios it was all over. Thanasi Kokkinakis’ dream of repeating his stunning Australian Open doubles success with Nick Kyrgios has been dashed by his debilitating pectoral muscle injury.

It was a miracle that they were even out there, but in the end a win was too much to ask of Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios, who were unable to overcome their Aus Open injury issues. The first miracle came when Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis produced Lazarus-like recoveries from their respective death beds to appear at John Cain Arena for their opening round doubles match.

Kokkinakis has been struggling with a pectoral injury for some time, and was forced to withdraw from the Adelaide International last week. He managed to win his first-round singles match at the Australian Open, before suffering a heartbreaking five-set loss in the second round.

Both Kyrgios (strained abdominal muscle) and Kokkinakis (right shoulder trouble) came into the match dealing with physical issues.

Thanasi Kokkinakis didn't have great news after retiring injured from his Australian Open men's doubles clash with Nick Kyrgios, revealing that he will need "a serious surgical procedure" after going against the doctors and going out to the court.

Thanasi Kokkinakis has said he and compatriot Nick Kyrgios "owe it to the public" to compete in the doubles draw at the 2025 Australian Open, despite both struggling with their physical state.