Nick Kyrgios fell just short in a grand comeback from injury as he lost his Australian Open first round match to Jacob Fearnley.
The Australian Open came under fire for its scheduling involving Kyrgios, who started on day two in Melbourne.
He met rising British star Fearnley on John Cain Arena, in his first Grand Slam appearance since the 2022 US Open.
But Kyrgios may have played his last Australian Open singles match, in which he lost 7-6(3), 6-3, 7-6(2) to British number three Fearnley.
The 2022 Wimbledon runner-up struggled with an abdominal injury throughout the match, having been sidelined for some time with wrist and knee issues.
Australian Open crowd gives Nick Kyrgios energy in first round tie with Jacob Fearnley
He was, however, as electric as ever on the court, with the Australian Open crowd treated to his customary showboating.
Discussing his relationship with Australian tennis fans, Kyrgios said in his post-match press conference: “Yeah, it was crazy.
“Like, I know towards the start of my career I had a very love/hate relationship with the crowd here. I remember getting booed off that court when I lost in five sets. I tried my nuts off, lost in five sets. I remember getting booed off that court.
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“Fast forward to the later stages of my career. I went out there, I would say 65% of my capacity. For them to really see me fighting and still giving me that energy, it meant a lot, because I feel like I’ve given my life to tennis and I’ve tried to give them a show every time I go out there.
“I know I didn’t do that tonight. There are moments for me that are special that I won’t forget. Really, they were tagging me in stories beforehand, like we waited four or five hours to line up.
“That was a big motivation for me tonight to not throw the towel in, just shake my opponent’s hand after the first set.
“There was no way my abdominal was going to get better. We knew that. I really enjoyed the way the crowd gave me energy. I wanted to give them two-and-a-half hours of tennis rather than a retirement. That’s s**t.”
2022 Australian Open doubles champions Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis reunite
Kyrgios ultimately couldn’t fully utilise that energy to come out on top against Fearnley, who emerged victorious after two hours and 19 minutes.
The Scot has enjoyed a rapid rise in recent times, with Fearnley currently 92nd in the ATP rankings ahead of his second round match in Melbourne.
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He now takes on Frenchman Arthur Cazaux in round two, with Kyrgios switching his focus to his doubles venture with Thanasi Kokkinakis.
The Australian duo blew fans away with their 2022 Australian Open triumph, where they overcame compatriots Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell in the final.
Whether Kyrgios can make a full recovery for that clash remains to be seen, with a tricky test upcoming against yet another Australian duo in Aleksandar Vukic and James Duckworth.
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