ATP Stuttgart: After an early exit – Nick Kyrgios asks his fans for patience
Nick Kyrgios was eliminated at the start of the ATP tournament in Stuttgart - there is still a little way to go for him to be in top form.
by Florian Goosman from Stuttgart
last edit: Jun 14, 2023, 05:06 pm
Hopes were high - realistically, however, Kyrgios' opening in Stuttgart was no surprise.
The Australian, who was here in the semi-finals last year and even in the final at Wimbledon, had not yet played a single tournament match in 2023. Kyrgios had an operation on his malady knee in the spring, most recently he had missed the French Open due to a robbery.
Kyrgios' mother was threatened here , according to court documents he himself had helped to catch the man and injured his foot.
So now the long-awaited comeback on the beloved lawn, but Kyrgios still seemed ailing and not in full possession of his strength. It started against Yibing Wu 5:7, 3:6.
Afterwards, Kyrgios asked for patience via social media: "Fans, be patient with me," he tweeted in the evening. "It's a process of getting back to where I was. I know it's hard for you guys to see me play like I did today. But I need more time and hopefully I'll get back to where I was."
Tsitsipas, Struff and Fritz on Thursday
For the BOSS Open, Kyrgios' early departure is of course a loss, especially since Alexander Zverev had previously canceled due to injury. With Denis Shapovalov, another "Hot Shot" king was eliminated early. In this respect, hopes are now pinned on Frances Tiafoe, who will start the tournament on Wednesday evening (from around 5.30 p.m., live on ServusTV and on Servus TV On).
A strong program has also been announced for Thursday: Taylor Fritz, number 2 in the tournament, will play against Aslan Karatsev, and then from 3 p.m. Jan-Lennard Struff against Tommy Paul. And from 5 p.m. the number 1 in Stuttgart: Stefanos Tsitsipas, who will compete with Richard Gasquet.
ServusTV Germany will broadcast all center court matches of the BOSS OPEN 2023 live and exclusively on free TV and on ServusTV On!
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