Djokovic, Alcaraz and Sinner in the second round of the Australian Open, but Kyrgios is out | Tennis News

Aussie favorite Kyrgios says his first-round loss could be his last appearance in Melbourne.

Nick Kyrgios’ long-awaited return to the Grand Slam stage was cut short as Briton Jacob Fearnley knocked out the ailing home hero at the Australian Open in the first round.

A packed crowd on Monday filled Kyrgios’ favorite John Cain Arena for his first match at Melbourne Park in three years, hoping the tennis player might break the pressure to fight back.

Many on the left were distraught as Kyrgios went down in a 7-6 (3), 6-3, 7-6 (2) loss, his injury hampering his performance and movement.

With most of his last two seasons wiped out by knee problems and wrist surgery, a dejected Kyrgios said he may have played his last singles match at Melbourne Park because of his exhaustion.

“I went out there, I would say 65 percent of my position,” he told reporters.

“Because [the fans] to see me really fighting and still giving me that energy, it meant a lot, because I feel like I’ve dedicated my life to tennis and I’ve tried to give them a show every time I go out there.

“Honestly, I don’t see myself playing a singles game here.”

Earlier, Novak Djokovic survived a storm in his quest for tennis history before joining Carlos Alcaraz and defending champion Jannik Sinner in the second round.

Djokovic lost the first set to 107th-ranked American Nishesh Basavareddy in the evening’s match at Rod Laver Arena.

But the Serbian, hoping to turn back the years and win an 11th Australian Open and record a 25th Grand Slam title, recovered to come through 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

Djokovic was animated at the end and struggled to raise a smile.

Italy’s top scorer has been playing under a cloud after testing positive for steroids twice in March.

He denies wrongdoing and was cleared by tennis authorities, but the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed the case and wants to ban him for two years.

Sini received a warm welcome at Rod Laver Arena before defeating Nicolas Jarry of Chile 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/5), 6-1.

“I was eager to see what it was like. You never know what’s going on,” he says about welcoming guests.

“I was happy with the crowd,” said Sinner, who hasn’t tasted defeat since losing to Alcaraz in the finals in Beijing in October.

Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam winner but never in Melbourne, had a few hairy moments before facing the challenge of Alexander Shevchenko of Kazakhstan, 6-1, 7-5, 6-1.

“This is a tournament I want to win one day, hopefully this year,” said the 21-year-old Spaniard.

In the women’s competition, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff advanced as they sought to dethrone two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.