Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios was eliminated in the first round of the ATP Stuttgart grass tournament on Tuesday, losing 7-5, 6-3 against China’s Wu Yibing in his 1st tour match since October. Kyrgios had been out of the game for seven months and underwent a knee operation after withdrawing from his opening match at the Australian Open in January.
After moving laboriously and being unable to win points on his opponent’s serve, an exhausted Kyrgios was sent tumbling out of the tournament. Given the performance, it is unclear if he will be at his finest for Wimbledon, which starts in less than a month.
In Stuttgart last year, Kyrgios advanced to the semi-finals before losing to Andy Murray. Before breaking Kyrgios and taking the opening set in the 12th game, Wu saved a break point in the first game with a beautiful forehand on the run. As the game went on, World No. 64’s movement became noticeably more restricted. Wu also got the only break in the second set, securing his third Top 30 victory.
The Australian, who lost in the Wimbledon final to Novak Djokovic last year, seemed to be bothered by his knee but unleashed 15 aces in defeat. Wu made history in Dallas in February by becoming the first Chinese player to win an ATP Tour championship.