Nick Kyrgios’ comeback was virtually over before it started as the Australian suffered a disappointing doubles defeat alongside fan favourite Gael Monfils in Washington. The former world No. 13 had not played a match since his second-round exit at the Miami Open in March, and skipped the grass season due to an ongoing injury.
Kyrgios used his protected ranking to enter the singles event at this week’s Citi Open and took a doubles wildcard alongside Monfils. He later pulled out of singles, and his doubles outing lasted just 58 minutes, as the entertaining duo suffered a bruising defeat.
The Aussie and the Frenchman had a brutal draw, coming up against No. 3 seeds Hugo Nys and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in the first round. But Monfils was broken in the first game, and it set the tone for the rest of the match as they lost 6-2 6-2 in under an hour on the Grandstand court.
While singles is usually his focus, Kyrgios has plenty of experience on the doubles court. The 30-year-old has even won the doubles title in Washington alongside Jack Sock, and he teamed up with good friend and countryman Thanasi Kokkinakis to win the Australian Open in 2022.
Kyrgios thrives in the US capital, he’s also won the singles tournament twice – once in 2019, and again in 2022, when he also swept the doubles crown with Sock.
The former Wimbledon finalist will have been happy to just get on the match court. Ahead of the tournament, he said: “I mean just to be back here, after my wrist injury and my knee injury, I never thought that I’d be back at a tournament like this playing ever again, to be honest.”
Kyrgios has now played just nine matches this year across singles and doubles as he continues to battle wrist and knee injuries.
His knee issue flared up again during his time in Washington, and it was strapped up during the match. “Knee cooked but fans still f***ed with us,” he wrote on Instagram after losing his first match in four months.
In a separate post, he added: “Say what you want… you watched.”
It appears the seven-time title winner is still hopeful that he can continue his comeback this summer. He has entered the Cincinnati Open and US Open using his protected ranking. He’s also signed up to play the new US Open mixed doubles event with Naomi Osaka.
But the 30-year-old has been dogged by injuries over the past three years. In the midst of his best season in 2022, he pulled out of the ATP 500 in Tokyo ahead of his quarter-final match.
Kyrgios and Kokkinakis still turned up to the prestigious ATP Finals at the end of the season after qualifying but they won just one match and were knocked out in the group stage.
The Aussie then skipped his home Grand Slam tournament at the beginning of 2023 to undergo knee surgery. He attempted a comeback in June, returning in Stuttgart, where he injured his wrist, and did not play again until this season.
Since making his return, he’s won two matches – a doubles bout alongside Novak Djokovic in Brisbane, and his first-round singles match in Miami.
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