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Against all odds, Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis took to the court for their first-round doubles match on John Cain Arena, but after a hampered showing from both, the pair were unable to complete the match, retiring down 7-5 3-2 to James Duckworth and Aleksandar Vukic.
Following his singles defeat on Wednesday evening, Kokkinakis cast doubt his doubles appearance, saying "unless we're both playing with underarm serves, it's looking pretty unlikely".
Yet, despite the pain in his pectoral muscle, the 28-year-old walked out on court alongside Kyrgios in front of a packed crowd.
The full-house crowd's energy was quite subdued as it quickly became clear that neither Kyrgios nor Kokkinakis would be able to play at their best.
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Both were rolling in serves between 120kmph and 140kmph throughout the match, well below their usual speeds, and although they managed to break the serves of Duckworth and Vukic multiple times to keep the match competitive, they never looked like they would be able to pull ahead.
"I can't serve, can't hit a high forehand," said Kokkinakis. "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 see if I was somewhat competitive, even without a serve. Just wanted to get on court again with the big fella. Such great memories. We had a big crowd we knew waiting for us. [In] any other circumstance, I’m not setting foot on court.”
With Kyrgios suggesting earlier in the week that he may not play singles again at the Australian Open, he revealed that he would still consider playing doubles in future years if his body could handle it, although he could not guarantee this for certain.
"I think we, on full potential and full health, could do some damage in the doubles always."
The other Australians in action on the doubles court had mixed success, with Ellen Perez partnering Belgian Elise Mertens to defeat Jaime Fourlis and Petra Hule.
2023 champions Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler also crashed out meekly to top-seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic 6-0 6-2.
Luke Saville, playing in his final tournament, managed to spring a huge upset with partner Li Tu, defeating eighth-seeded Argentines, Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni.
Saville was the clear leader of the partnership, using all his doubles experience to control the court as Gonzalez and Molteni could provide little by way of answers.
Kimberly Birrell and Olivia Gadecki also enjoyed a comfortable 6-2 7-5 win over Serbian duo Aleksandra Krunić and Nina Stojanovic 6-2 7-5, while Alex Bolt and Priscilla Hon upset the multiple Grand Slam-winning pair of Jamie Murray and Bethanie Mattek-Sands in a tight champions tie-break.
Tomorrow, Matthew Ebden begins his campaign with Belgian Joran Vliegen while Jamie Murray and John Peers look to build upon their opening-round win.
Fans will also be excited to see siblings Emerson and Hayden Jones pair up as they begin their mixed doubles tournament against defending champions Hsieh Su-wei and Jan Zielinski.
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