Nick Kyrgios has reminded the tennis world that he has still got it as he scored a dominant straight-sets win over World No. 36 Corentin Moutet in his first singles match since January 6.
After being sidelined with knee and wrist injuries, the Aussie made a huge statement in the first round of ATP Stuttgart, breezing past Moutet 6-3 6-4 in a little over an hour on Wednesday (AEST).
It was a vintage Kyrgios performance as the 31-year-old frustrated his opponent with his powerful groundstrokes and big serves.
Kyrgios didn’t face a single break point in the match as he held serve with ease and threatened to break Moutet throughout.
In typical Kurgios fashion, he was still ever the showman with tweeners, drop shots and playing up to the crowd.
Speaking after the match, Kyrgios got emotional as he declared he’s thrilled to be back.
“I feel great and motivated,” he said.
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“(It’s) quite (an) emotional moment. I had a lot of surgeries and I’m very thrilled to be back.
“I had a wrist reconstruction, I had four knee surgeries.
“But I’m back mostly because of the fans. I’m staying for you guys”.
Kyrgios’ return for the grass season will have many wondering if he could be given a Wimbledon wildcard ahead of the Grand Slam which kicks off at the end of this month.
Back in 2022, Kyrgios made the Wimbledon final. That same year, problems with his wrist began, and he hasn’t been the same since.
Before Wednesday, Kyrgios had last played a singles match in Brisbane in January, and before that, he had not played since March 2025.
Since October 2022, Kyrgios has played just seven singles matches and won one,
However, Wednesday’s match was his first on grass since the 2022 final, and he looked as comfortable as ever.
The surface is ideal for Kyrgios with his serve-and-first-strike game style translating more efficiently than on slower courts.
The absence of extended baseline rallies also helps his body as it allows for short points.
Wimbledon organisers will undoubtedly be keeping a close eye on how Kyrgios progresses through the tournament, and if he can string another win or two together, it would be tough to see a world where they don’t give the Aussie a wildcard.
That is because if nothing else, his return created much fanfare and supporters are already licking their lips that Kyrgios could finally be back as good as ever after dispatching a top 50 player with consummate ease.
“Nick Kyrgios hasn’t won an ATP tour singles match since Miami ‘25 but he received a wildcard into the #BOSSOpen this week and just took out the 36th best player in the world, Corentin Moutet, in an hour and 7 minutes. Always giving us something to watch,” Myles David wrote on X.
“I genuinely didn’t think that Nick Kyrgios would look this good after his long period off the courts!” prominent tennis account Pavvy G said.
“One of the most sensational comebacks in Tennis today! Take a bow.”
“That was very, very impressive from Kyrgios. Much better than probably most expected,” Jose Morgado wrote.
While Reddit was abuzz, with several threads blowing up over just how good the Aussie looked.
“I have seen enough, Kyrgios is winning Wimbledon, to be the 4th man born in the 90s to become a slam winner,” one said.
“Dude served like an absolute menace, impressive,” another added.
“Impressive to beat a guy in the top 50 or so after years of not playing. Curious to see how far Nick can go in a tournament,” a third commented.
Kyrgios will face Sho Shimabukuro in the second round on Thursday (AEST).