Kyle Edmund happy to be back at US Open after gruelling spell on sidelines

In the two years since Kyle Edmund last contested a grand slam singles match, he has been through the wringer. Years of pain in his left knee eventually led Edmund to undergo surgery at the end of 2020. Two more operations followed, the most recent a cleanup of the joint in May, and in total he was missing for 22 months during what should have been some of the prime years of his career.

“I’ve never been in that position before,” says Edmund of his time away. “So you learn things about yourself, how you react in certain situations. The feelings I had of being upset and frustrated and down and the worrying, I never felt. I’ve never felt that on court.”

On Monday, the 27-year-old Briton will finally return to grand slam singles competition as he faces the considerable challenge of the No 5 seed, Casper Ruud, in the first round of the US Open, marking the next step on what he hopes will be his return to the top. Edmund carries no delusions about the challenge before him and the patience required so early in his comeback.

“There will be a lot of positives that I can hopefully take away from it because I can learn what my true level is, because he is at the top of the game right now,” he says. “What things I am doing well already, what I can do better. Right now it is so early coming back, so it is important that I don’t give myself a hard time getting wrapped up in it all but seeing it for what it is and the strides that I have made to get back.”

Edmund’s first step was a surprise appearance in the Wimbledon mixed doubles in July, losing in the first round alongside Olivia Nicholls. He has since played a mixture of ATP Tour, Challenger and ITF events, making modest progress. Despite his surgical interventions, Edmund has come