I’ve been out so long, someone asked me if I’d retired!
KYLE EDMUND, a semi-finalist at the Aussie Open five years ago, returns Down Under with injury hell behind him at last
It was late in 2021, on a trip to Waitrose, when Kyle Edmund’s injury predicament really hit home to him. Already off the circuit for more than a year after two surgeries on a left knee that had been bothering him since 2019, he was approached in the aisle by a fellow shopper.
‘this woman came up to me and asked if I was Kyle Edmund the tennis player, I said yes and she replied that she thought I was retired,’ he recalls.
‘that sort of reminded me how long I had been out. She was polite and I wasn’t annoyed, but it showed the reality of it.
‘ I’d say that was my low point around that period, sitting at home deep in thought wondering what was going to happen.’
the 27-year- old British player can look back on that time in more sanguine fashion now, because his mood is finally one of optimism after fearing that a highly promising career was all over.
Edmund has spent most of December in Dubai, preparing for a new start in Australia. Although ranked a nominal 582, he will use long-term injury dispensations to enter the opening two AtP tournaments in Adelaide before playing the Australian Open.
When he arrives in Melbourne it will be five years since he broke through to make the semi-finals at the season’s first Grand Slam.
While it is now easily forgotten, his progress to the last four excited thoughts that Britain had unearthed a rare gem who could challenge for the big trophies. He was to reach a career high of 14 later that year after winning the European Open in Antwerp.
‘Hopefully I can get back to that feeling again,’ he tells Sportsmail. ‘Five years goes quickly, although it hasn’t always felt like the time has flown by.’
Only in February this year did he start feeling that the painstaking month upon month of gym rehab work was starting to bring about improvement. A third minor procedure in April finally set him up for a low-key singles return in August. At the US Open he managed to be reasonably competitive in losing to eventual finalist Casper Ruud, but it was only after playing in the contrastingly humble domestic UK Pro League at Nottingham last month that there was any sense of elation about his progress.
‘I played a few tournaments up to the Open but I realised there was still some more strengthening to do around my knee. I didn’t play tennis for a month and it started to feel strong in the middle of November.
‘I went to the Pro League finals in Nottingham. Originally I planned just to play a few matches there, but as I went through the week I just kept going and ended up playing five matches in a row and winning it.
‘It was a nice little reward for all the work and it felt quite big. the knee is definitely in a good place compared to the start of the year.’
the whole painful experience has made him look differently at life: ‘It has given me a new perspective, I wouldn’t say I was ever ungrateful but when you’ve had your career taken away from you it does make you appreciate playing professional sport for a living.
‘If I had known how long it was going to take I would have done more stuff outside tennis, but when you are in the middle of all the rehab you are just trying to get it better. I was so obsessed with needing to do what was necessary and I’m quite stubborn like that.
‘I got into photography a bit. I bought a camera, started taking pictures and editing. I found that quite interesting and I think I will take some more pictures on my travels from now on. I watched Liverpool and motor sport a lot on tV.
‘ I had never thought about money much, but you realise you are self- employed and not bringing in anything. Luckily I’d already made a chunk (actually close to £5million in official prize money alone) so I had a cushion.
‘When I was watching tennis played in front of big crowds I was thinking it just felt so far away, now it feels a bit closer. In tennis you aren’t given anything and ultimately it will be about me bringing a level that is good enough to beat the best players like I used to when I was in the top 20.’
He talks of ‘not doing anything to p*** off my knee’ and knows it will have to be managed.
‘I’m going to have to be smart with how much load I put on it, and I doubt I will be playing 30 tournaments in a season, but I’m pleased with where it’s at now.’
Christmas was spent on the other side of the world in Adelaide with only fellow British player Ryan Peniston and his coach Mark taylor for company. ‘to be honest I’ve had to spend far too much time sitting at home in the past few years, so it really doesn’t feel like too much of a sacrifice.’