Nick Kyrgios has come through his first match since March, and just his sixth this year, completing just under an hour on court in a men's doubles defeat at the ATP Tour's DC Open.
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See subscription optionsPartnering French veteran Gael Monfils, and playing in front of NBA star Kevin Durant, the pair had a tough opening draw against third seeds Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Hugo Nys, and were beaten 6-2 6-2.
Nonetheless, just being on court in the Washington heat was something of an achievement for the 30-year-old Australian who has been dogged by injury since reaching the Wimbledon final in 2022.
Kyrgios has a current ATP ranking of 640, but has activated his protected ranking of 21 to be included on the official entry list for the final grand slam of the year in New York.
"I wanted to play singles, but six weeks ago I had a bit of a niggle with my knee," Kyrgios said.
"So it's just going to take a bit more time."
Worryingly though the Canberran did grab at his knee during the contest and limped towards the end, later posting on Instagram: "Knee cooked but fans still f****d with us."
Kyrgios last played doubles at the Australian Open in January, calling it quits in his opening match alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis when 7-5 3-2 down to fellow Aussies James Duckworth and Aleksandar Vukic.
He subsequently played three singles matches, retiring when trailling 7-6 (8-6) 3-0 in the first round at Indian Wells in March. The wrist he had an operation on in September 2023 was still an issue.
However, he reached the second round at the Miami Open later in the month, beating McKenzie McDonald for his first singles win since 2022. In the second round he lost to Karen Khachanov and this outing in the US capital was his first match since.
Roger-Vasselin and Nys will next face Australia's Paris Olympics doubles champions Matt Ebden and John Peers after their straight-sets win.
Earlier on Monday, Chris O'Connell went down 6-3 6-2 to American Ethan Quinn, while Vukic overcame big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-4 3-6 6-3.
Alex de Minaur and Alexei Popyrin are also in the ATP 500 event but have received first-round byes.
De Minaur told ATPTour.com he was hoping to use the tournament as a springboard to climb the rankings ahead of the US Open.
The hip injury suffered at Wimbledon 2024 meant the Australian No.1 did not play any of the hardcourt warm-ups before Flushing Meadows, so he has plenty of ranking points to gain.
"It was somewhat difficult at the start of the year and mentally taxing knowing that I had zeros on my ranking because I missed Masters events," the current world No.13 said.
"I knew it would be important to put myself in a good position for the back end of the year when I have little to defend, giving hope that I could gain some serious points and momentum and build on the ranking.
"So going into the tail end of the year, I'm excited for the opportunity and hoping I can play good tennis and take care of my chances."
Looking further ahead the Sydneysider added: "I've got the experience now. I've got the knowledge, the physicality side of things. Everything is just there for me to go out and perform.
"I can really have a swing these next three or four years and really show that I'm at my peak and break through some barriers.
"I'm ready to go deep into tournaments. It's just up to myself to put those results right."
Australian Associated Press
