Aussie favorite Kyrgios says his first loss could be his last in Melbourne.
Nick Kyrgios' long-awaited return to the Grand Slam was cut short when Briton Jacob Fearnley sent the ailing home champion out of the Australian Open in the first round.
Crowds on Monday packed Kyrgios' fan-favorite John Cain Arena for his first match at Melbourne Park in three years, hoping the tennis player can overcome a stomach bug to fight it out.
Many on the left were disappointed when Kyrgios went down reeling in the 7-6(3), 6-3, 7-6(2) defeat, injury hampering his serve and movement.
With most of his last two seasons cut short by knee problems and hand surgery, a grieving Kyrgios said he may have played his last match at Melbourne Park because of his exhaustion.
“I went there, I would say 65 percent of my strength,” he told reporters.
“For (the fans) to see me fight and give me strength, it meant a lot, because I feel like I've given 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 singles matches anymore.”
Earlier, Novak Djokovic survived a scare in his quest for tennis history before facing Carlos Alcaraz and defending champion Jannik Sinner in the second round.
Djokovic lost the first set to the 107th-ranked American Nishesh Basavareddy in the afternoon match at Rod Laver Arena.
But the Serbian giant, hoping to roll back the years and win his 11th Australian Open and record his 25th Grand Slam title, recovered 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
Djokovic was delighted at the end and struggled to raise a smile.
Italy's first-choice striker was playing under a cloud after testing positive for steroids twice in March.
He denies wrongdoing and tennis officials have been charged, but the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has appealed and wants to ban him for two years.
Sinner received a warm welcome at Rod Laver Arena before defeating Chile's Nicolas Jarry 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/5), 6-1.
“I was curious to see what it was like. You don't know what's going on,” he said while welcoming guests.
“I was happy with the crowd,” said Sinner, who hasn't tasted defeat since losing to Alcaraz in the Beijing final in October.
Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam champion but undefeated in Melbourne, had a couple of moments before facing the challenges of Kazakhstan's Alexander Shevchenko, 6-1, 7-5, 6-1.
“This is a race I want to win one day, hopefully this year,” said the 21-year-old Spaniard.
In the women's draw, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff went through a narrow fight as they bid to dethrone two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.