Aleksandar Vukic has taken top-ranked Brit Jack Draper to the brink in the third round of the Australian Open before being edged in a fifth-set tiebreak.

Doubles tennis rarely receives much attention in the first week of a grand slam, but that's not the case at this year's Australian Open. Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios are set to team up at the AO for the first time since taking out the men's doubles in 2022.

Nick Kyrgios has fuelled further discussion about the future of his tennis career as he said that he was "weighing up his options".

Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis, dubbed the Special Ks, have pulled the pin on their doubles campaign and walked off the court.

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.

The apologetic Aussie was plainly ‘shattered’ to tell his great mate Nick Kyrgios it was all over. Thanasi Kokkinakis’ dream of repeating his stunning Australian Open doubles success with Nick Kyrgios has been dashed by his debilitating pectoral muscle injury.

Both Kyrgios (strained abdominal muscle) and Kokkinakis (right shoulder trouble) came into the match dealing with physical issues.

Aleksandar Vukic lost the match but won admirers around the world after playing "some of the best tennis you will see."

Unsung Sydneysider Aleksandar Vukic has set his sights on a Davis Cup call-up after a breakout performance at the Australian Open

There’s a tedious trend dogging the Australian Open and it’s not the grunting or the 4am finishes. It’s the surge of player injuries interrupting matches so often the chair umpires will soon start calling time-outs just to play tennis.