Kyrgios and Kokkinakis mull future after injury-plauged Australian Open

Source : ABC NEWS

Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis were adamant they wanted to put on a show in their men’s doubles reunion at Melbourne Park but made it just a set-and-half before medical retiring.

The pair — affectionately dubbed “Special Ks” — both came into the match at John Cain Arena nursing injuries that plagued their singles campaigns.

While Kyrgios received medical treatment during a break for his abdominal strain, it was Kokkinakis who was unable to continue due to his pectoral concern, which restricted his serves. 

“(The) doctor advised me not to play … I can’t serve, can’t hit a high forehand. I’m in a lot of pain. (But) I wanted to come out here,” Kokkinakis told reporters post-match.

“I know there was a lot of talk about us playing again. I wanted to see if I was somewhat competitive, even without a serve. Just wanted to get on court again with the big fella.”

After his marathon singles match loss to Jack Draper the night before, Kokkinakis said the reunion with Kyrgios looked “unlikely” after the “physical torture” of his recurrent injury.

“I feel like I’m letting him down, letting people down,” Kokkinakis said in the lead-up to the doomed doubles match.

“I don’t know, I won’t be able to lift my arm tomorrow, so we’ll see. Unless we’re both playing with underarm serves, it’s looking pretty unlikely.”

Yet after a practice session the morning of their scheduled doubles match, 28-year-old Kokkinakis told Nine pre-match he and Kyrgios felt “horrendous” but would battle on.

“I’m going to walk out there and see what we can do. There’s going to be a lot of people coming out — we’re not going to be at our best, but we will have fun,” Kokkinakis said.

“I’m going have to miss some time after (the) Aussie Open, but I told my team that I’ll empty the tank and see what I’ve got.”

Now that the tank is well and truly emptied, it begs the question of what’s next for the dynamic duo known for their entertaining games in front of rowdy crowds.

For Kokkinakis, it’s to speak to as many experts as possible, with surgery a very real possibility in his time away from the sport.

Kyrgios, meanwhile, said after his singles exit it might have been his last solo campaign at an Australian Open, but was encouraging of a doubles return with Kokkinakis.

“On full potential and full health, (we) could do some damage in the doubles — always. Obviously I felt like the crowd tonight was ready to erupt from the get-go,” Kyrgios said.

“For me, obviously this year I’ve been out for a year and a half, two years, so I don’t know what this year’s going to bring. Obviously I’m going to trust the process. I think I’m hitting the ball great. I’ve still got a long way to get back to that same level I was in 2022.”

While the pair admitted there has been no formal chat about a future doubles career, Kyrgios said after growing up together, they had a genuine connection and chemistry on the court that was hard to ignore.

“We just have a good feel for the game of doubles together. I think we play very similar. We like to do the same things. It felt like we hadn’t stopped playing doubles,” Kyrgios said.

“I’m sure we’ll play together at some stage. But I can’t guarantee that I’ll be back here.”

Vukic not giving up on partner despite singles run

The result sees fellow Australian duo Aleksandar Vukic and James Duckworth progress to the second round after winning the first set 7-5 and up 3-2 in the second.

Vukic would also have been well within his rights to pull the pin on the match after making his way into the third round for the first time of a grand slam, but said that was “no chance”.

“Me? No, no. I just talked to my partner, Duckworth,” Vukic said. “We were like: ‘We good? We’re good. Let’s go.’

Vukic next takes on Draper in the third round on Friday night on Margaret Court Arena. He and Alex de Minaur remain the only Australians left in the singles main draw.