Lleyton Hewitt thinks it was evident during Nick Kyrgios’ Australian Open first-round loss that he wasn’t “mentally or physically 100 percent sure” about his body.
On Monday, the 29-year-old made his Grand Slam return after not playing a Major in two and a half years.
And for the 2022 Wimbledon finalist – who had knee and wrist surgeries in 2023 – it didn’t go well after world No. 92 Jakob Fearnley saw him off in straight sets 7-6 (3) 6-3 7-6 (2).
During the match, Kyrgios was complaining about an abdominal issue and later even said that he probably played his last singles match at the Australian Open.
However, he also confirmed that he would not withdraw from the men’s doubles event with Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Hewitt: Kyrgios wasn’t sure how the wrist would hold up
“Mentally and physically I think deep down he is not 100 percent sure,” the former world No. 1 said.
“He wasn’t sure how the wrist would hold up, especially in matches. You can play a lot of points out of the hand from the baseline and hit a lot of balls on the practice court.
“It is completely different when you are out there on the match court, and also this is just the first match.
“How he pulls up, if he is able to get through a five-set match, we all know how hard that is.”
Lleyton Hewitt© Lleyton Hewitt/Instagram – Fair Use
On January 31st and February 1st, Australia will take on Sweden in the Davis Cup.
Earlier this month, it was announced that Kyrgios agreed to play and that he would be returning to the competition for the first time since 2019.
But considering how his Australian Open singles return went, it won’t be surprising if Australian Davis Cup team captain Hewitt doesn’t have the 29-year-old at his disposal later this month.
Tennis World USA