Nick Kyrgios loses on singles return after 18-month hiatus
What's the story
Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios returned to tennis's singles segment at the Brisbane International. It was his first singles match in 18 months after being sidelined with wrist and knee injuries.
Although Kyrgios lost to France's Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, he showed he is fit and ready to compete. Notably, the match lasted more than two hours.
Hours before the match, Kyrgios joined forces with Novak Djokovic in the Brisbane International doubles match. The two stars won on their doubles debut.
Match details
Kyrgios loses to Mpetshi Perricard in 3 tiebreak sets
The Kyrgios-Mpetshi Perricard match was a closely fought one, with the French player winning three tiebreak sets 7-6 (2), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3).
Mpetshi Perricard, who has jumped to 31st from outside the top 200 this year, served an incredible 36 aces against Kyrgios's 15.
The French player's powerful serves regularly clocked over 220kph.
On-court tension
Kyrgios expresses frustration during match
During the match, Kyrgios vented his frustration to chair umpire Christian Rask.
This was after he missed a chance to break during the second set, prompting Rask to warn him about his language.
Despite the loss, Kyrgios's performance showed a strong comeback after his long absence from competitive tennis due to injuries.
Comeback
Kyrgios's comeback to tennis
As mentioned, this was Kyrgios's first singles match on the ATP tour since June 2023, when he lost in Stuttgart.
The Aussie star last played a Grand Slam at the 2022 US Open, where he reached the quarter-final.
He also won the Australian Open that year in doubles, with Thanasi Kokkinakis.
As mentioned, Kyrgios recently played alongside Djokovic as the pair defeated Alexander Erler and Andreas Mies 6-4, 6-7 (4), 10-8 in an hour and 48 minutes.