Nick Kyrgios made his return to tennis in Brisbane, having been side-lined with an injury for 18 months.
Kyrgios was told he may never play tennis again, after ‘brutal’ surgeries he battled through over the past few years.
The Australian ATP star was determined to get back on the court, however, and he made his long-awaited return in Brisbane this week.
Kyrgios played alongside Novak Djokovic in the doubles tournament on Monday, as the pair were victorious on debut in Brisbane.
Things didn’t go quite as well in the singles, as Kyrgios lost in the first round to big-server Giovanni Mpetshi-Perricard.
The former Wimbledon finalist needed treatment on his surgically repaired wrist during the first set of his defeat to Mpetshi-Perricard and has now revealed how he is feeling physically after the match.
Nick Kyrgios says he doesn’t take playing tennis for granted after his ‘experimental’ wrist surgery
Speaking after his opening-round defeat at the Brisbane International, Kyrgios opened up about the struggles with his wrist.
“Well, I mean, look, I’ve got six holes in my hand, like I’ve got six holes in my hand and one in my arm,” he said.
“Yeah, not one tennis player has ever had this surgery and come back and tried to play again.
“It’s all really an experimental kind of, the surgeon, like, yeah, if you ever go back and play at this level again, it’s on you guys.
“I don’t really have any protocol of how it’s going to be or how it’s going to pull up.”
Kyrgios went on to explain his approach to the Brisbane tournament, considering his wrist issues.
“Me and my physio, we are taking it as it comes,” he said.
“If we can get through a match, we get through a match.
“How it pulls up tomorrow, I have no idea, it’s throbbing like **** right now.”
The former Australian number one also thanked the crowd for their support during his singles return.
“I had a lot of adrenaline going through my body,” he said.
“The crowd was amazing today, I really appreciate everyone coming out, full crowd sold out for two days straight now.
“I definitely feel the love.
“Yeah, I didn’t take it for granted, I don’t know if I’ll ever be back on that court again, obviously maybe for doubles.
“When I was leaving today, I could definitely feel like it was, yeah, it was special.”
Nick Kyrgios predicts a tough day playing doubles alongside Novak Djokovic in the second round
Having advanced to the second round of the Brisbane International alongside 24-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic, the pair will now face off against number-one seeds Nikola Mektic and Michael Venus on Wednesday.
Kyrgios has admitted that his wrist won’t be in the best shape for tomorrow’s match, but will still step on the court to give it his all.
“I think tomorrow it’s going to be a bit of a rough day for my wrist, to be honest,” he said.
“It’s very sore at the moment, we were expecting that.
“I’m going to do all the right things, and I’ll be playing doubles, for sure.”
Kyrgios and Djokovic looked impressive during their opening-round match in Brisbane but will likely need to take things to another level against Mektic and Venus.
He’ll have to recover from his singles encounter before he returns to doubles, however, and he has now revealed just how tough the recovery process has been for him this week.
“I felt like I had been hit by a bus yesterday after doubles, to be honest,” said Kyrgios.
“I was on the treatment table for an hour and a half before bed.
“But we know that’s how it’s going to be, even doubles, you just can’t replicate the match pressure, the nervous energy, you’re returning, like these guys are professionals.”
Kyrgios and Djokovic will return to the court to play Mektic and Venus in the last 16 of the doubles tournament on January 1.
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