Kyrgios needs ‘miracle’ after return from long injury layoff

BRISBANE: Nick Kyrgios said he will need “a miracle” at the upcoming Australian Open after losing in three tight sets on Tuesday in his first singles match since June 2023.

Kyrgios returned to singles action after a long injury lay-off at the Brisbane International, where he went down to rising French star Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. The towering Mpetshi Perricard served 36 aces on his way to a 7-6 (7/2), 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/3) win over the talented but temperamental Kyrgios in two and a half hours.

Kyrgios, who had wrist reconstruction in his time away from the game, conceded after the loss that he was in pain but he was in an upbeat mood. “For me, honestly, it was a great match, considering I hadn´t played in 18 months,” Kyrgios, the 2022 Wimbledon finalist, said. “And to put myself in a winning position was exciting.”

The 29-year-old said he “felt relatively pretty good physically -- my legs, my body felt really good”. “Not one tennis player has ever had this surgery and come back and tried to play again,” added Kyrgios, who played doubles with Novak Djokovic on Monday. “It´s all really experimental -- I don´t really have any protocol of how it´s going to be or how it´s going to pull up.