Nick Kyrgios’ tennis comeback has hit a snag – but there were plenty of positives ahead of a potential Wimbledon assault.
After beating world no.36 Corentin Moutet in the opening round at the Stuttgart Open, Kyrgios was defeated by Japanese qualifier Sho Shimabukuro 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 in the second round.
However, Kyrgios only lost his serve once in the match and was two points away from winning the contest at 5-5 in the second-set tiebreaker.
But most importantly, Kyrgios showed no discomfort with any of the chronic injuries he has suffered over the last four years – mainly in the knee and wrist regions.
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Later in the day, he also played a doubles match with fellow entertainer Alexander Bublik, with the duo winning via a third set tiebreaker against Jakub Paul and Ryan Seggerman.
Unranked Kyrgios will likely seek a wildcard at grass tournaments over the next two weeks with Wimbledon scheduled to begin at the end of the month.
It is likely Kyrgios will receive a wildcard from All England Lawn and Tennis Club if his fitness is not in question because of his crowd-drawing power and his status as a former Wimbledon finalist.
Kyrgios reached the final of the famed grass championships in 2022 but went down to Novak Djokovic in four close sets.
Persistent injuries struck Kyrgios down shortly after, with the Australian only playing eight professional singles matches since October 2022.