Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis’ highly anticipated return to the Australian Open men’s doubles was abruptly cut short due to injury on Thursday. The pair, former champions in 2022 and known as the ‘Special Ks,’ were trailing 7-5, 3-2 against fellow Australians James Duckworth and Aleksandar Vukic when they were forced to retire from their first-round match.
Kokkinakis, who has been struggling with a shoulder issue, revealed that he had been advised by a doctor not to play, explaining that he would likely need a serious procedure to address the problem. “I’m in a lot of pain. I wanted to come out here. *I know there was a lot of talk about us playing again. I wanted to get on court again with the big fella. We have such great memories,” he said after the match.
Kyrgios, who had already faced difficulties earlier in the tournament, had earlier expressed doubt about his future in singles at the Australian Open following a first-round loss to Britain’s Jacob Fearnley. The former Wimbledon finalist was visibly hampered by an abdominal injury during that match. “I can’t see myself playing singles again here,” Kyrgios stated after the defeat.
Kokkinakis also had a tough singles outing in the opening round, where he was defeated by Britain’s Jack Draper, further aggravating his shoulder issue. Despite the setbacks, Kokkinakis expressed the disappointment of not being able to compete with Kyrgios in front of a home crowd, saying, “Any other event, any other circumstances, I’m not stepping on court.”
Meanwhile, in other doubles action, Britain’s Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski triumphed over Argentina’s Sebastian Baez and Francisco Comesana with a 7-6 (7-1), 6-4 win. This victory marked their first Grand Slam appearance together after Salisbury’s split from long-time partner Rajeev Ram, with whom he won four major titles, including the 2020 Australian Open.
Wimbledon champions Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara overcame India’s Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli and American Ryan Seggerman, winning 7-6 (7-5), 6-1. In other mixed doubles action, Lloyd Glasspool and Russia’s Alexandra Panova clinched a 6-4, 1-6, 10-8 victory over Belgian Joran Vliegen and Spain’s Cristina Bucsa. However, Jamie Murray and American Bethanie Mattek-Sands were defeated 6-3, 3-6, 11-9 by Australia’s Alex Bolt and Priscilla Hon.
In the women’s doubles, British Harriet Dart and France’s Diane Parry claimed victory over compatriots Heather Watson and Czech Linda Noskova, 6-3, 7-5. However, Olivia Nicholls and Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova were eliminated by Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko and Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei, the third seeds.
While the tournament has seen mixed results for British players, the early exit of the ‘Special Ks’ marks a significant blow for Australian hopes in the doubles competition, as both Kyrgios and Kokkinakis had been hoping for a strong run at their home Grand Slam.
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