It’s a long way from the hallowed lawns of Wimbledon to the qualifying rounds of the ATP Challenger Tour stop in Winnipeg, Canada. But after three knee surgeries and almost two years away from the world of professional tennis, Kyle Edmund is just happy to be back on court, anywhere, anytime.
This week the former World No. 14 Brit will play his first tour-level singles match since October 2020 in Vienna, when he suits up at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C.
“It’s extremely rewarding to be back,” the 27-year-old said. “There were long periods when I couldn’t see when I would be back. There were times when there was no progression, no improvement. But I was willing to exhaust all avenues to get back. I didn’t pick up a racquet for five or six months. I just wanted to play tennis.”
Edmund eased his way back into tour life by playing mixed doubles at Wimbledon in June. He said that being back around his peers and getting a feel again for the environment of pro tennis was a blessing.
“I needed it, it had been such a long time,” Edmund said of his return at the All England Club. “To get a feel for it again, the match-day preparation and to feel those nerves again.
“Then playing the Challenger… it was just about being back out on the singles court. I didn’t care where I played. It was my first singles match in such a long time. It wasn’t about the results, it was about playing a match and learning where I was at. It was a big tick box. I played three matches in a week and came away with some wins, so that was a bonus. Lots of positives to take away.”
Kyle Edmund” />
Kyle Edmund won the 2020 New York Open.
Edmund began to notice pain in his left knee in 2018 but played through it until November 2020 when he decided to go under the knife, never contemplating that would be the first of three surgeries (also March 2021 and May 2022) that would sideline him from singles action for 20 months. “The fact that it took three surgeries showed it was complicated and not something that was easily fixed,” he said.
Edmund’s countryman Andy Murray, who knows a thing or two about comebacks after returning to the ATP Tour with a metal hip, was asked Saturday at the Citi Open about the various physical and mental challenges Edmund would confront.
“I think one of the hardest things is when you’ve been injured for a while is to push yourself hard enough in practice to test your body and to prepare your body to play…
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