Aussie Nick Kyrgios has finally made his highly-anticipated return tennis in 2023, but the Wimbledon finalist admitted he was a long way from his best after going down at the Stuttgart Open. Kyrgios has been out since last year having succumbed to a knee injury, which left fans in shock as he withdrew from the Australian Open.

And while many thought he would return in time for a rare appearance at Roland Garros, Kyrgios remained sidelined after knee surgery. However, the 28-year-old has been building up his fitness in time for another grass court run having made the final at Wimbledon last year.

Unfortunately, his long-awaited return didn't go as planned as the Aussie went down in straight sets to Yibing Wu 7-5, 6-3. Wu had never played in a grass court tournament on the main tour, but held his nerves to defeat the Aussie.

Kyrgios appeared to be serving well, but was hampered in his movement from the baseline. He seemed reluctant to chase down points and admitted during a change of ends that his knee was causing him pain.

"I feel my knee every point. I can't walk without pain," Kyrgios said, before dropping his head into his hands in frustration. Following the match, Kyrgios pleaded with fans to give him time as he works his way back to fitness.

"Be patient with me my fans please," Kyrgios tweeted. "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."

Yibing was no easy draw for Kyrgios with the World No.64 fighting for every point in the scrap. Tennis fans were quick to rally around Kyrgios after the Australian did his best after more than six months away from a competitive match.

https://legit365.com.ng/kyrgios-asks-fans-for-patience-after-first-match-after-injury/