MELBOURNE, Australia — Nick Kyrgios’ participation in the Australian Open has come to an end, as he and fellow Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis decided to withdraw during their first round of doubles play on Thursday night.

The pair, who were the champions of the men’s doubles at Melbourne Park in 2022, were trailing against fellow Australians James Duckworth and Aleksandar Vukic with a score of 7-5, 3-2 when they opted to retire.

Both athletes were battling injuries as Kyrgios faced issues with a strained abdominal muscle, while Kokkinakis dealt with problems in his right shoulder. Their physical struggles came after disappointing finishes in their respective singles matches earlier in the tournament.

Kyrgios, who was the runner-up at Wimbledon in 2022, has played just one singles match across the years 2023 and 2024 due to ongoing injuries that required wrist and knee surgeries. The last Grand Slam event he participated in prior to this week was the 2022 U.S. Open.

Following his defeat to unseeded opponent Jacob Fearnley, where he lost in straight sets with scores of 7-6 (3), 6-3, 7-6 (2), Kyrgios remarked, “I mean, realistically, I can’t really see myself probably playing singles again here.”

Kokkinakis faced No. 15 seed Jack Draper in singles on Wednesday night, where he was eliminated in the second round after a hard-fought match that ended 6-7 (3), 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.

As both players navigate their injuries, their future participation in the tournament has become uncertain, raising questions about their readiness for upcoming challenges.