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.

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.

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.

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.

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 says a doctor advised him not to play before he and Nick Kyrgios retired injured in the men doubles first round at the Australian Open.

After a brutal five-set defeat on Wednesday evening, Thanasi Kokkinakis admitted it was "unlikely" he would back up to play doubles with good friend Nick Kyrgios. But against the odds, the 'Special Ks' walked out on John Cain Arena on Thursday night for their first-round match.

Emma Raducanu has already accomplished something she never has at the Australian Open and she might be ready for more.

In a challenging start to the Australian Open doubles tournament, Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis have been forced to retire from their first-round match due to injury concerns. Kokkinakis' pectoral injury was pivotal in the decision,

Winning the Australian Open in 2022, the childhood friends Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis had a dream run at Melbourne Park but it ended in disaster on their return on Thursday.

Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis' Australian Open run has come to an end through retirement and it also didn't go without a bit of drama. On Thursday, the 2022 Australian Open winners made their return as a pair to Melbourne Park for the first time in three years.