Thanasi Kokkinakis pulls out of Rafael Nadal blockbuster due to shoulder injury

Thanasi Kokkinakis has withdrawn from the US Open, giving Rafael Nadal a free pass into the third round via a walkover.

The injury-plagued 23-year-old Australian was scheduled to play the Spanish legend in the feature night match on centre court, a huge opportunity to remind the tennis world of his talent.

However he succumbed to a right shoulder injury and pulled out an hour before the match was due to start.

It's just the latest setback in a career that has promised much but delivered little due to a string of injuries to his shoulders pec and knee ruining much of the last four years.

Nadal, an 18-time Grand Slam winner and three-time US Open champion, will next face the winner of a later match between South Korean qualifier Chung Hyeon and Spanish 32nd seed Fernando Verdasco.

He sits in a remarkably open side of the draw, with 'big three' rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in the other half and first round carnage knocking out a host of big names he was drawn to meet before the final.

Nadal is drawn to meet sixth-seeded German Alex Zverev in the quarter final and potentially Aussie Nick Kyrgios in the semi, should the big serving enigma hold it together for his deepest ever run in a grand slam.