A day before Nick Kyrgios returned to tennis in struggling fashion in Stuttgart on Tuesday, a teaser was circulating on social media pointing towards his desire to win Wimbledon.
Filmed prior to his run to the final last year as part of the tennis documentary Point Break, the Australian said that if he managed to win the title, “it’s like a middle finger to everyone”.
It took Novak Djokovic, the best ever, to deny the tour rebel in the 2022 Championships.
A concentration lapse from Kyrgios while in a dominant position in a critical service game is all that really separated the pair in a four-set final memorable for the splendid quality of play.
But the challenge is indisputably greater for the Australian this year if he is to give “the bird” to the tennis world at Wimbledon and, more importantly, claim a grand slam title.
The Canberran’s first step on the road back in Stuttgart was a shaky and, it appeared, occasionally painful one as he lost to Wibing Yu 7-5, 6-3.
Kyrgios has not played a grand slam match since a five-set loss to Karen Khachanov in a US Open quarter-final nine months ago when the favourite to win the tournament.
The eventual champion was Carlos Alcaraz. That fact alone indicates how well Kyrgios, whose last match came at the Japan Open in October, was playing at the time.
An ongoing knee complaint required surgery and then a toe injury he suffered during an alarming car theft in which his mother had a knife held to her throat slowed his return.
Dressed in a black shirt, shorts and socks, which contrasted with his white hat and shoes, Kyrgios gave a wave as he stepped out in Stuttgart, where he was a semi-finalist last year.
He held a break point in the first game. He also served 11 aces in the opening set.
But his ring rust was evident, most notably on set point when he opted for a drop shot that was easily run down by Yu, who drilled a backhand winner.
What was familiar was Kyrgios’s cursing and complaints, with the colour of the towels earning his wrath early on as he struggled to find his range.
What is concerning is his movement. When the first serve did not go in, and when Kyrgios was engaged in rallies, he looked restricted. He also grabbed for the knee at times.
Yu, who became the first Chinese man to win an ATP Tour title when successful in Dallas in February, seized the decisive break late in the second set and was stronger throughout.
He later posted on social media, saying: “Be patient with me my fans please … It’s a process to get back to where I was.
“I know it’s hard for you to see me perform like today, but I need more time and hopefully can get back to where I was.”
As a younger man, when his tag on a social media handle was NK Rising, Kyrgios proved himself capable of finding peak form quickly.
But his time to strike is shortening and also dependent on his fitness, which raises the stakes if he is to make the transition from contender to champion this grass court season.
Kyrgios is now 28. To put that into context, aside from the obvious outlier in every facet of tennis in Djokovic, the rest of the current Top 10 are 27 or younger.
Not for the first time in his career due to the pressure associated with defending ranking points, the next few months are crucial for the seven-time ATP Tour titleist.
The lack of points on offer at Wimbledon last year proved a curse at the time, for Kyrgios would now have a career-high Top 10 ranking to his name, but is now arguably a blessing.
Despite not playing this year until Tuesday, he is ranked No 25 with 1375 ranking points.
But over the next three months he has to defend 1465 points due to his excellent form when fit last summer on the grass court circuit and hard court tour in North America.
If Kyrgios’s serve remains precise and powerful, which proved the case against Yu as he delivered 15 aces, and if he is fit and firing, that should not be a problem.
But the latter is a big if, particularly on the showing in Stuttgart.
It might be the case that Kyrgios, due to his love of grass and knowledge he has the game to beat almost anyone on it when at his best, is attempting to take a step forward too soon.
