Kyle Edmund suffers setback in Cologne after British No 2 is beaten by South African qualifier Lloyd Harris in first round at Bett1 Hulks ATP event
- Edmund had a bright start to the season when he won the New York Open
- But the 23-year-old has recorded just one official win since the end of lockdown
- The British No 2 went down against South African on a sluggish indoor court
Kyle Edmund was left with just one official win since the end of lockdown when he was defeated on his latest return to action on Tuesday night.
Having missed the French Open with knee problems, the British No 2 went down 7-5, 7-6 to world No 92 Lloyd Harris in the first round of the Bett1 Hulks ATP event in Cologne.
Edmund had a bright start to the season when he won the New York Open back in February but that is seeming fairly distant after this setback against the South African qualifier on a sluggish indoor court.
British No 2 Kyle Edmund was defeated on his latest return to action on Tuesday night
Aside from the ‘Battle of the Brits’ tournaments, his only win was in the US Open first round which was followed by a respectable loss to Novak Djokovic.
This week’s tournament is one of two in the German city over the next fortnight, an emergency addition to beef up the ATP calendar.
Spectators were allowed in the 18,000- capacity arena yesterday but are barred from today due to rising Covid infections in the area.
Meanwhile, Djokovic has signalled his intention to go all out to maintain the world No 1 spot after his French Open final defeat.
The Serb yesterday accepted a wildcard to enter the Vienna Open at the end of this month, meaning he is likely to play three more events before the end of this truncated season.