@NickKyrgios is well and truly back 😆 #UnitedCup
Kyrgios Loses His First Match Since 2023 Amid Lingering Wrist Concerns
NewsTuesday, 31 December 2024 at 09:13
Nick Kyrgios made a long-awaited return to the tennis courts at the 2025 Brisbane International, and despite losing, he certainly didn't disappoint his fans.
The 29-year-old Australian has spent more than two years away from the tennis courts. He played one match in 2023, but apart from that, his last match was at the 2022 Japan Open in Tokyo, which was played in October 2022.
Now, after many challenging months of recovery, Kyrgios made his way back to the tennis courts, and his first tournament back was the ATP 250 event in Brisbane.
He started at the tournament already on Monday, winning a doubles match alongside Novak Djokovic. In singles, his first-round opponent was Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, and fans who bought the tickets could have brought ace counters with them, as these two players are both incredible servers.
Early in the first set, it took some time before both players got to their best serving-wise. Still, they held their serves easily, apart from one game. When Kyrgios was down 3-4, he faced a break point, but saved it to keep the set going.
With Mpetshi Perricard winning 88% of his service points, the first set had to be decided in a tie-break, and the French player played it much better. He got the first mini-break already on his opponent's first serve, and thanks to serving three aces in the tie-break, Mpetshi Perricard won it 7-2.
It was an ideal start into the match for the Frenchman, and a bit less ideal for his Australian opponent. On top of that, Kyrgios appeared to be struggling with his wrist a little bit in the second set, and even though he didn't call for a physio, he sported a relatively heavy strapping on his wrist.
Still, he played well in the second set, even working his way to two break points on Mpetshi Perricard's serve at 3-2. The Frenchman, however, saved the first one with an ace, and the second one with a winner, and despite making three double faults in that game, Mpetshi Perricard was able to win it.
With no more break points on offer, the second set also had to be decided in a tie-break. Before that, the Australian player delighted the home crowd with an underarm serve, which worked, winning him a point.
In the tie-break, Mpetshi Perricard hit three aces once again, but this time, he also added some unforced errors, which ultimately cost him the set, as Kyrgios won the tie-break 7-4.
The third set, and the match, was unsurprisingly decided in yet another tie-break. It was probably the best tie-break that the French player played in this match, as he hit four aces, and Kyrgios couldn't find an answer.
As a result, Mpetshi Perricard won the match 7-6(2), 6-7(4), 7-6(3). The French player hit an incredible 36 aces in the match while Kyrgios' serve flew past his opponent 15 times, as the two players combined for 51 aces in full 39 games of play (the most possible in a best-of-three match).
For Kyrgios, this was a very good first match back, despite losing, but the main concern will be his wrist, and whether it will allow him to continue competing.
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