Nick Kyrgios said he will need "a miracle" at the upcoming Australian Open after losing in three tight sets on Tuesday in his first singles match since June 2023.
Kyrgios returned to singles action after a long injury lay-off at the Brisbane International, where he went down to rising French star Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
The towering Mpetshi Perricard served 36 aces on his way to a 7-6 (7/2), 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/3) win over the talented but temperamental Kyrgios in two and a half hours.
Kyrgios, who had wrist reconstruction in his time away from the game, conceded after the loss that he was in pain but he was in an upbeat mood.
"For me, honestly, it was a great match, considering I hadn't played in 18 months," Kyrgios, the 2022 Wimbledon finalist, said. "And to put myself in a winning position was exciting."
The 29-year-old said he "felt relatively pretty good physically – my legs, my body felt really good".
"Not one tennis player has ever had this surgery and come back and tried to play again," added Kyrgios, who played doubles with Novak Djokovic on Monday.
"It's all really experimental – I don't really have any protocol of how it's going to be or how it's going to pull up.
"So me and my physio, we are taking it as it comes. If we can get through a match, we get through a match.
"How it pulls up tomorrow, I have no idea. It's throbbing like (expletive) right now."
Kyrgios is scheduled to play at the Australian Open when it begins on January 12 but is not sure how his wrist will cope with the extra demands of a Grand Slam.
"I think I was really excited for the Oz Open, but after today, if I'm able to play, I'm able to play," he said.
"I think I almost need a miracle, and I need, like, the stars to align for my wrist to hold up in a Grand Slam for sure.
"Today, if this was a Grand Slam, we may still be out on court, and I don't know how I'd pull up the next day or the day after," he said.
"Yeah, that's kind of the reality setting in."