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MELBOURNE – Nick Kyrgios’s long-awaited grand slam comeback lasted barely two hours as Jacob Fearnley played his role of Australian Open party-pooper to perfection, beating the 29-year-old 7-6, 6-3, 7-6.
Kyrgios had played just one singles match in two years and he said afterwards he was unlikely to play the individual event here in Melbourne ever again, although he will still play doubles, the event he won with Thanasi Kokkinakis back in 2022.
But home hopes of similar glory were quickly dashed when Fearnley, on Australian Open debut, raced into a 7-6, 3-0 lead before an hour was even up.
Kyrgios called tournament physios to deal with an abdominal strain he brought into the Australian Open and lost nearly 30 miles an hour off his serve in the second and third set, beaten eventually in two-and-a-quarter hours by the British youngster.
“I was extremely nervous and I didn’t get too much sleep. I’m sorry for Nick, I could see he was dealing with some stuff,” Fearnley said afterwards.
“I tried to just focus on myself. I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to get you guys [the crowd] on my side! All things considered, I think that’s probably the best match I’ve ever played.”
It had been a kind-looking draw for Kyrgios, who could have faced any of the world’s top players in the opening round, but instead got Fearnley, who had never played in the Australian Open.
Kyrgios’s preparation was fairly light, consisting of two doubles matches with Novak Djokovic and a singles defeat to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, all in Brisbane, before heading to Melbourne.
He had been due to play an exhibition event at Melbourne Park with Djokovic on Thursday but pulled out, revealing a grade one abdominal tear that looked like it might stop him playing the major at all.
“I knew I wasn’t 100 per cent going into this match. I’m not saying that’s why I lost. He outplayed me. He served. He outserved me. He returned well,” Kyrgios said.
“Honestly, the reason I kept playing, tried to play tonight, was because of the fans. I don’t know how many times I’m going to be back here again.”
He added: “Realistically I can’t really see myself probably playing singles again here.”
Kyrgios had insisted beforehand he was ready for his first grand slam event since reconstructive wrist surgery in 2024; he had also been dealing with foot and knee problems in his two-year hiatus.
Kyrgios’s abdomen did not seem to hinder him, in the early stages at least, as much as Fearnley, the 23-year-old from Edinburgh who caused Djokovic significant problems at Wimbledon last July.
On that occasion, the Brit was already two sets down when he took the third, and few believed the upset was on the cards. This time though, Fearnley played like the favourite, and quickly quietened the crowd.
It was a key part of his performance. John Cain Arena has a capacity of 10,500 and is open to ground-pass holders, meaning it is invariably a much rowdier atmosphere than the other show courts, not least when Kyrgios plays on what is his favourite court.
By putting the match on in the evening slot, organisers knew exactly what they were doing. When the pair walked out, or more specifically when Kyrgios walked out, it felt like John Cain was ready to turn into the zoo it has so often been for its favourite performer.
But Fearnley, to his eternal credit, was virtually flawless. In the opening set, he out-aced one of the world’s best servers 9-5 and in a tie-break that felt inevitable, he won six of the first seven points to take a stranglehold.
At the other end, the famous Kyrgios chuntering started, littered with swear words for which the broadcasters were constantly forced to apologise.
“Great, he has got a service bigger than mine,” he said, as though Fearnley’s 127mph serve was not something he had expected. Fearnley was a student at Texas Christian University until May last year, but has hardy been anonymous since, winning four titles on the second-tier Challenger circuit and breaking into the top 100 in the world.
Signature moves followed from his 29-year-old opponent. Kyrgios would hit two first serves in a row, a variety of tweeners and drop shots. The only thing that was missing was the underarm serve.
But what was also missing was the athletic ability that got Kyrgios to a Wimbledon final and earned him seven career titles, albeit no one believes he has fulfilled the potential he showed when he reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon for the first time in 2014 as a fiery teenager.
There was a risk that the flatness of the atmosphere, killed dead by Kyrgios’s meagre performance, would infect his opponent: consecutive double-faults in the third set gave the crowd some hope it might. Sensibly, Fearnley did not rise to the insult of applause for his errors. He did though get tight, understandably so for a tour rookie who has only once played in front of a crowd this large.
All Kyrgios needed was a sniff. That it had taken nearly two hours to enter his nostrils did not matter. He broke back, got 40-0 up and started playing the hits. The underarm serve, the behind-the-back squash shot. When he won the point, the arena exploded.
Kyrgios put his finger in the air to acknowledge them and for a second it felt like there was a way back for him. But the speed gun told a different story, with Kyrgios’s first serves usually barely touching 105 miles an hour. He could still hit 130 occasionally, but it was usually followed by an extended grimace.
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