New Delhi: Nick Kyrgios served underarm and pulled off a behind-the-back shot in the same point to keep the Melbourne crowd entertained on his return to action from injury in his Australia Open opening round loss against Jacob Fearnley.
After two injury ravaged seasons, the mercurial Australian’s return to Melbourne Park didn’t end on a sweet note as he went down 7-6 (3), 6-3, 7-6 (2) to unseeded Fearnley in under 2.5 hours.
But he delighted the crowd with his usual assortment of aces and favourite trick shots even though his movements were restricted by a recent abdominal strain.
After his loss, the 29-year-old doubted is he would ever play singles at the Australian Open but plans to play doubles with compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis, having won the doubles title at their home Grand Slam in 2022.
“I mean, realistically, I can’t really see myself probably playing singles again here. It’s hard, when you’re competing for the biggest tournaments in the world and you’re struggling to win sets physically, it’s pretty tough,” he said.
‘Wanted to soak in the atmosphere’
Due to wrist and knee operations, Kyrgios could only play one match in 2023 and 2024. Prior to this year’s Australian Open, his most recent appearance in a major tournament was at the 2022 US Open.
“I’m one of the biggest servers on tour and I’m getting out-served tonight. I mean, Nick Kyrgios without his serve is probably not — I’m not a threat to many players,” Kyrgios said.
In between points, Kyrgios was visited by a trainer as he struggled with an abdominal strain. He carried on playing keeping in mind the fans wanted to see him in action, which made him want to soak up the atmosphere, in case he doesn’t return in Melbourne.
Ever the showman 🎪 the ol’ underarm, behind-the-back combo 😂
Welcome back to the court @NickKyrgios!#CanadianClubAO • #Cheeky • #DrinkResponsibly • @espn • @eurosport • @wwos • @wowowtennis pic.twitter.com/juRvcUdU7N
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 13, 2025
“I don’t know how many times I’m going to be back here again. That’s why I didn’t have headphones on; I wasn’t listening to music. I walked out there today (and) wanted to hear the crowd. There were some special moments,” he said.
“It was really cool to share the court with him. If that is his last match, I was glad I was able to play him before he went out,” Fearnley said.
“I spent a lot of time watching him as I was in college, and even before college. He’s obviously a massive name, someone on the court I have 100% looked up to.”
After two injury ravaged seasons, Nick Kyrgios’ return to Australian Open ended in the first round as he went down 7-6 (3), 6-3, 7-6 (2) to unseeded Jacob Fearnley. Tennis Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
