No longer under the “delusion” that he’s the world’s “best player”, Nick Kyrgios was satisfied with his return to singles tournament tennis despite it ending in defeat at Pat Rafter Arena on Tuesday.
Playing in his first singles tour match since March, Kyrgios was outgunned 6-3 6-4 in 66 minutes by impressive American Aleksandar Kovacevic in the first round of the Brisbane International.
N. Tszyu vs Zerafa | Friday 16 Jan from 7pm AEDT | The trash talk and bitterness come to a head when Nikita Tszyu steps into the ring to face Michael Zerafa in one of the most anticipated fights in Australian boxing history. Plus ex-NRL enforcer Nelson Asofa-Solomona’s pro boxing debut | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports
The 27-year-old Kovacevic was clinical and methodical in a dominant performance, not dropping serve and breaking the serve of Kyrgios once in each set to seal a second-round berth.
And while the result wasn’t what former tournament champion Kyrgios wanted in his return to competitive singles action, he said it was a “stepping stone” in his bid to be given an Australian Open wildcard.
“The result wasn’t how I wanted it to go today, but … I feel like now towards this part of my career, every time I walk out there, it’s always a lot of fun,” he said.
“I definitely felt a lot of love out there. I feel as if I’m giving them (the crowd) a good show.
“It’s a lot of fun being out there, especially in Brissie. It’s definitely one of my favourite places to play.
“Whatever this year holds, I do want to continue to play as much as I can.”
However, at 30 and on the comeback trail from significant knee and wrist injuries, former Wimbledon runner-up Kyrgios – now ranked 670th in the world – is realistic about what he can achieve during the rest of his career.
“There was a point in my life in 2022 or when I was winning multiple titles in a year when there was the delusion (that) I generally thought I was the best player in the world,” he said.
“I genuinely thought I was unbeatable. I’d go out on the court, and I thought no-one could genuinely beat me … (but) after you have these surgeries, they pull you down, and you don’t have that belief anymore.
“It’s sad in a way, but that’s just the reality.”
Kovacevic admitted it was tough to prepare for Tuesday’s match due to the unpredictable Kyrgios’ recent inactivity.
“It was a tough one to approach,” the New York product said.
“You don’t always know what you’re going to get with Nick whether he’s healthy or he’s not.
“It’s been tough to scout him recently because he hasn’t been on tour for a while, playing serious matches, so I didn’t really know what to expect.
“I just knew that I had to be pretty locked in.”
Demon’s Aus Open prep starts with loss | 02:03
Both players were comfortably holding serve in the first set until Kovacevic led 4-3.
The American then pounced, breaking Kyrgios’ serve in the eighth game, with Kyrgios missing an easy volley to allow Kovacevic to skip to a 5-3 lead.
Despite his first double fault of the match in the next game, the New York product held his nerve to win the set 6-3 in 33 minutes.
Kyrgios resorted to an underarm serve early in the second set as he attempted to disrupt his opponent’s rhythm.
Both players were again comfortably holding serve in the opening eight games of the second set before Kovacevic broke Kyrgios’ serve in the ninth game.
He then closed out the match to end Kyrgios’ return to competitive singles action prematurely.
“Credit to my opponent as well,” Kyrgios said.
“He’s really locked in, he’s excited, and he’s a hell of a player. He’s going to be one to watch for sure.”
Kyrgios’ Brisbane International commitments aren’t over as he remains in the doubles event with Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Discussion about this post