Nick Kyrgios lost his first ATP Tour match in 10 months in straight sets at the Brisbane International on Tuesday.
The Australian, who won last month’s Battle of the Sexes match against world No 1 women’s player Aryna Sabalenka, was beaten 6-3, 6-4 by world No 58 Aleksandar Kovacevic in 65 minutes.
Kyrgios was broken once in each set and appeared to clutch his elbow in discomfort during the match against rising American player Kovacevic.
Kyrgios now faces an anxious wait to see if he will be awarded a wildcard for the Australian Open, which starts on 18 January, with three spots in the men’s singles still up for grabs.
He will be in second-round doubles action alongside compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis on Wednesday, whom he won the Australian Open men’s doubles title in 2022, before playing an exhibition event in Kooyong, Melbourne next week.
After reaching the final of Wimbledon in 2022. Kyrgios is now ranked 670 in the world after a torrid three years with various injury problems.
The 30-year-old had not played an ATP Tour match since the Miami Open last March and has featured in just six ATP singles matches in the past three years.
Kyrgios has also not featured at a Grand Slam since last year’s first major of the season in Melbourne, when he lost in the first round to Britain’s Jacob Fearnley.
Sabalenka, meanwhile, has defended her participation in the Battle of the Sexes after her own opening round win in Brisbane, where she beat Cristina Bucsa 6-0, 6-1.
"When you play against a guy, the intensity is completely different," Sabalenka said.
"Especially when there is Nick, who is drop-shotting every other shot, you move a lot, so there was a great fitness for me.
"It wasn't about proving something to anyone. It was able to show that tennis can be really huge.
"That exhibition, it was fun. It was a great challenge."
