Nick Kyrgios’ return to the Australian Open is over after he and partner Thanasi Kokkinakis stopped playing while trailing in the second set of their first-round doubles match.

A seething Thanasi Kokkinakis has described his ongoing pectoral muscle issues as “physical and mental torture” after losing a five-set epic at the Australian Open.

Thanasi Kokkinakis was warned for "bending the rules" as he called the physio during his marathon battle with Jack Draper in Melbourne.

Australian tennis star Thanasi Kokkinakis has stunned his opponent with an amazing act of sportsmanship at a critical moment of their second-round Australian Open clash. British No.15 seed Jack Draper was serving at two sets to one down, and trailing by a break in the fourth when he was about to be denied a certain point after a long rally.

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.

Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis's bid to repeat their Australian Open doubles triumph of 2022 ended in retirement in on Thursday when the latter was unable to continue their first-round tie.

Thanasi Kokkinakis says he feels like he’s “letting people down”, with the doubles reunion of his 2022 Australian Open winning partner Nick Kyrgios “unlikely” after he suffered a recurrence of a pectoral injury in his second round loss at Melbourne Park.

The tennis world is steeped in luxury and prestige — which is why one Australian player made headlines thanks to her dedication for sourcing vintage looks seen on Grand Slam champions.

Thanasi Kokkinakis has seen his Australian Open campaign ended in the second round by Brit Jack Draper. The popular Aussie, who battled to a gutsy four-set win over Roman Safiullin in the previous round,

Australia’s Alex de Minaur has also come out in defence of fellow country Thanasi Kokkinakis, who has received criticism about prioritising exhibition events before preparing for the mega-events.

Kokkinakis was hampered by a long-standing pectoral injury as he went down 7-6 (7-3) 3-6 6-3 5-7 3-6 to Jack Draper in a four-hour-and-35-minute heartbreaker. Speaking after the match, Kokkinakis said he wouldn't even be able to lift his right arm to serve on Thursday night.

Jack Draper conjured the spirit of Andy Murray to claw his way back from the brink of defeat against home favourite Thanasi Kokkinakis at the Australian Open. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.