Thanasi Kokkinakis has fired back at critics questioning his decision to pull out of the Australian Open singles draw while chasing doubles glory with Nick Kyrgios.
The "Special Ks'' - who famously won the men's doubles at Melbourne Park in 2022 - will team up again in a box-office pairing sure to excite local crowds.
But neither will feature in the men's singles tournament amid ongoing fitness concerns.
"There's a lot of people that say, 'Oh, if you're not ready for singles, why are you playing doubles?'," Kokkinakis said on Friday.
"Those people haven't played tennis and don't know how different it is.
"I'll be good to go for doubles."
Kokkinakis made the agonising decision to pull out of the singles draw after a shoulder injury flared and forced him out of the Adelaide International this week.
"I could play a couple of sets probably, but the problem is grand slam matches are never easy," Kokkinakis said.
"I didn't want to be the guy that plays one and then has to pull out in the second round.
"I'd rather give that spot to someone else that will be ready to play healthy."
Kokkinakis spent nearly 12 months on the sidelines following pectoral surgery in February.
The 29-year-old South Australian made his highly anticipated return in Adelaide and scored a first-round win over American Sebastian Korda, but could not continue.
"It's tough, I'm not going to lie," he said.
"I've missed a lot of my career with this, and last week I reminded myself of where I could be.
"After not playing for 12 months, to produce that, I'm quite happy with my tennis.
"I just need to sort out what's going on with my arm."
Kokkinakis believed he was close to playing singles at Melbourne Park, but was convinced by his team to pull out.
A "tough pill" to swallow, the decision was made with a long-term view as the former world No.65 eyes a return to his best.
"It's the best decision for my career going forward," he said.
"I've still got a lot of good tennis in me and I think I showed that a little bit last week.
"But five sets is a different beast to come back and play my first couple of events there.
"Everything else is feeling good and I'm confident I'll get back to my best shortly."
