A former world number 14 and Australian Open semi-finalist, Kyle Edmund had the tennis world at his feet.
But like so many talented sportsmen and women, injuries have taken hold and decimated his career, with a couple of aborted comebacks revealing the extent of Edmund’s woes.
So will the man from Tickton return to the top level of tennis anytime soon?
Forgotten Man
When the US Open rolls around in August and into September, Edmund will no doubt be watching on with envy – and a sense of what might have been.
Amongst the favourites in the Betfair tennis odds for the Flushing Meadows showpiece are Novak Djokovic (6/4), Daniil Medvedev (6/1) and Matteo Berrettini (33/1); a trio that the former British number one has beaten in the past.
That highlights just how classy an operator Edmund was at his best, with a switch to the past tense only reflecting the fact that he hasn’t played an ATP Tour level match in months – and even that came after what has largely been a two-year absence from the sport.
Rock solid ?@MioKecmanovic gets past Kyle Edmund and into round two at #AdelaideTennis, 6-4 7-5. pic.twitter.com/2Ok8hopt6t
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) January 9, 2023
Edmund – who shares his time between Tickton and warm weather training in the Bahamas – has had three different knee surgeries, arguably taking the prime years from his game.
An individual famed for his intense privacy, ‘Kedders’ hasn’t updated his social media profiles since 2021 – perhaps an indicator of his desire to work hard on his comeback without the distractions of maintaining an online presence.
With some invitations to tournaments forthcoming thanks to his ‘injury protected’ status, Edmund was able to enter both the US Open in 2022 and this year’s Australian Open – first round defeats, in straight sets, indicative of the mountain he has to climb to get back to the top.
A more protracted comeback in May, which saw Edmund lose in the first round of the Madrid Open before a run to the semi-finals of a minor tour event in Italy, has been followed by radio silence ever since, with a wrist injury thought to be the reason.
Will Edmund return to his former glories?
Pushing the World No.7
Kyle Edmund is trailing Casper Ruud 6-3, 7-5 in New York#BackTheBrits ?? | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/jwh4LJ65fA
— LTA (@the_LTA) August 29, 2022
New York, New York
If all athletes have a stellar year in their careers, it’s likely that Edmund would agree that 2018 was his.
He reached his first two ATP 250 finals, losing in Morocco before finally getting his hands on some silverware at the European Open in Belgium – the likes of Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils swept aside as Edmund secured his first big title in the singles division.
That came after he romped to the semi-finals of the 2018 Australian Open despite being unseeded. He defeated the likes of two-time Grand Slam finalist Kevin Anderson and third seed Grigor Dimitrov, before running into the sublime US Open champion Marin Cilic in the last four.
Although Edmund won another ATP 250 event in New York in 2020, he will surely look back on 2018 with most fondness when reflecting on his career – not to say there won’t be another glorious chapter to come should the Tickton man win the battle with his body.
