Long road back begins here

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/07/2022 (1142 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A lot can change in four years. Just ask Kyle Edmund.

In 2018, he defeated Novak Djokovic, arguably the greatest men’s tennis player of all time, in the second round of the Madrid Open. That same year saw Edmund become the top-ranked British player as he reached the semifinal of the Australian Open and the third round at the French Open and Wimbledon.

You wouldn’t expect to see a player with a resumé like that in Winnipeg playing in a qualifying round match at the National Bank Challenger, but that’s exactly what Edmund, now 27, was doing on Monday afternoon.

That’s because Edmund suffered a knee injury, one that ended up requiring three surgeries, and was out of professional tennis for 20 months. His three-set victory Monday over Lebanon’s Hady Habib (6-2, 6-7, 6-4) at the Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club was Edmund’s first competitive singles match since the fall of 2020.

He’s got a long, long ways to go to get back to where he was before, but Edmund hopes this week in Winnipeg can be his first step to getting there. The former No. 14-ranked player in the world is currently ranked 497th.

“It’s frustrating and tough. But outside of yourself, no one feels sorry for you. So you have to really pick yourself up,” Edmund told the Free Press after his match.

“No one’s just gonna throw you a bone and magically get you back. You have to really put the work in and earn it. Yeah, it’s frustrating and there’s been some very low moments and I have felt sorry for myself for the past year and a half so the fact I am back is a good thing.”

Edmund’s injury will never be a thing of the past. It’s still not at 100 per cent and it never will be. But the London resident is hopeful it’s steady enough where he will be able to return to his old form and add to his US$5,765,703 career earnings.

“Well, I want to obviously. That’s always the aim to have goals like that. I’ve reached a career-high ranking of No. 14, but you never want to say that’s it. You always want to do more, for sure,” said Edmund, who also won the Davis Cup in 2015 with Great Britain.

“I mean, I just started today. It’s going to be a long run. I have to keep going. But you always have to set targets like that otherwise you get satisfied, I guess, when you’re mediocre. I’ve put too much work in to get back to just an OK level. I put the work in because I want to go to the top of the game.”

Not everyone would be willing to start from scratch to get there. But Edmund’s coach Colin Beecher believes his player has what it takes to climb back up the mountain.

“The one thing that he’s always had from his early years is he’s always been very strong mentally. He’s got a good head on his shoulders. There’s no ego there and I think that helps big time. He’s going about his business and making the right decisions on his schedule and tournaments.” Beecher said.

“…He’s aware there’s a process to it, but he’s got a good head on his shoulders and that helps the situation.”

Edmund would like to win the 32-person main draw and earn a cheque for $7,200 as much as everyone else, but he’s being realistic. He’s not the only big name in town as Canadian and former world No. 25 Vasek Pospisil plays his first-round match tonight at 6:30 p.m. against France’s Enzo Couacaud. Great Britain’s Liam Broady, who is fresh off of making it to the third round of Wimbledon, is also here and the No. 1 seed this week. Broady won Winnipeg’s Challenger tournament back in 2014.

“Just playing games, really. That sort of is (the goal this week). I was away for so long. It was hard to come on and be like, ‘I need to win.’ It’s just literally about going on and coming off. Almost that in itself is a victory,” Edmund said.

“Even at the start, I wasn’t playing, I was in pain, didn’t pick a racket up for like six or seven months. So just coming out and knowing I can produce a performance like that and give myself another match is great.”

Edmund will meet Australian Rinky Hijikata in Round of 32 action today.

Edmund isn’t the only one making a return this week, as the Winnipeg National Bank Challenger is back after a two-year hiatus owing to the pandemic. Players and officials from over 30 countries are in Winnipeg for the tournament.

The event runs all week with the championship match set for Sunday. For tournament draw and more information, visit winnipeg.nationalbankchallenger.com.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31