Kyrgios’ comeback match results in three-tiebreaker loss to Mpetshi Perricard

Nick Kyrgios did not lose serve a single time in his comeback from more than a year off the tour. Unfortunately, that isn’t always enough when Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard is the player on the other side of the net.

And it wasn’t on Tuesday at the Brisbane International, where Kyrgios fell to the big-serving Frenchman 7-6(2), 6-7(4), 7-6(3) in two hours and 27 minutes. The 29-year-old Australian played at a respectable level throughout this marquee first-round match, but match toughness unsurprisingly proved to be the difference in Mpetshi Perricard’s favor during the pressure-packed moments.

Kyrgios did not double-fault a single time whereas Mpetshi Perricard turned in seven doubles, but that hardly made up for the discrepancy in aces (36 for Mpetshi Perricard, 15 for Kyrgios).

“I obviously went into the match understanding how he played,” Kyrgios said of the reigning Basel champion. “I already knew that he liked to hit two first serves, but props to him, he’s found what works for his game style and he’s committed to that. He’s going to do some damage, for sure. He’s going to have a long career.

“He’s got an easy action on his serve. There were no real dips in speed or anything like that…. Props to him; he’s a hell of a player. I have played (Ivo) Karlovic, (John) Isner, (Milos) Raonic, all the big servers, and he’s got the biggest serve by far. Yeah, that was interesting. And it sucked.”

However, it was also encouraging.

“For me, honestly, it was a great match considering I hadn’t played in 18 months,” the former world No. 13 concluded. “To put myself in a winning position was exciting. It was just good to be back out there and to say that I can still play a level against someone like that, who is coming off the best year of their career and only getting better and confident, and I’m coming back and I asked the question. He just played a couple big points better than I did.”

Kyrgios was playing his first match since June of 2023 and his second since October of 2022. Still not quite 100 percent physically, he also said afterward that his status for the upcoming Australian Open is uncertain.