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The Australian tennis star seems destined for a largely background part during the nation's tennis season, following a brisk, anticlimactic defeat at the Brisbane International. For his supporters, the outing was concerning, marking his first competitive singles outing in nearly a year.

A Dominant Defeat

Kyrgios, who is on the mend from operations, offered little resistance against American Aleksandar Kovacevic. The 27-year-old American, sitting at 58th globally, easily defeated the local hope 6-3 6-4 in just over an hour, without giving up a break point opportunity.

The contest let down the packed arena, who had anticipated that this return to solo tour play since March would springboard Kyrgios back to relevance. Conversely, it justified the ongoing reluctance of tournament organizers to hand the former world No. 13 a precious place in the Melbourne Park grand slam.

“To be honest, I was anticipating greater resistance than that in terms of challenge today,” Kovacevic said. “It proved tough to scout him recently because he hasn’t been on tour for a while.”

Physical Struggles Evident

The Australian's serve was breached on two occasions, and he struggled with his mobility and return. He won just a single point on his opponent’s first serve. A shadow of the player he was at his zenith, Kyrgios wore an support, a taped wrist, and a plaster on his face. During the match, he winced and looked skywards, grabbing his elbow in obvious physical discomfort.

His preparation for the season had been limited to a set of exhibition matches, including a much-publicized Battle of the Sexes. The absence of a real fight on Tuesday seemed to shock his opponent.

Wildcard Worries

The Battle of the Sexes winner was only playing singles in Brisbane thanks to a special invitation. However, Australian Open organisers have held off on granting Kyrgios the equivalent invitation for the main draw, even as lesser-known Australians have been given entries.

With only a few invites still available for the men’s singles, there is debate over whether his fitness level merits a spot. He has done little to prove he is prepared for the demands of best-of-five tennis. Last season, he was ousted early and remarked that he likely would not himself competing solo there again.

A Potential Pivot

But the situation also offers a unique chance. Officials have been aiming to boost the appeal of the pre-tournament week, which features exhibitions and qualifying. A new addition this season is the One Point Slam, a unique contest offering significant money.

Kyrgios has already committed to that novelty, but he also told journalists he would be willing to try the qualification tournament if a main draw wildcard was not forthcoming.

A series of his trademark contests in that first week – even in qualifying rounds – might rapidly achieve what officials have been trying to for years: transform a fortnight of top-level sport into a three-week smorgasbord of sport-slash-entertainment. For a player who is often more profile than play, that may be a appropriate lasting impact.