Nick Kyrgios urges fans to 'be patient with me' after Stuttgart defeat

WATCH: Wu Yibing defeats Nick Kyrgios in the 2023 Boss Open first round

As the grass-court season kicks off, we've already seen a few massive early-round upsets—now, add Nick Kyrgios to the list. Last year's Wimbledon finalist fell in straight sets to Wu Yibing, 7-5, 6-3 in his opening match at the ATP 250 Boss Open.

Kyrgios was competing in his first match of 2023, following his surgery to repair a small tear in his left lateral meniscus in January. In a pre-tournament press conference, the Aussie revealed it had taken him "about five months to get back to even playing, moving and ready [to play] against these players."

He returned to ATP action in Stuttgart, where the No. 8 seed is now asking fans to "be patient with me... please" after his opening defeat:

Up against world No. 46 Wu Yibing—who was playing his first professional match on grass—Kyrgios struck 15 aces but was visibly struggling with his movement around the court, prompting concern about the state of his knee.

"It’s a process to get back to where I was," Kyrgios shared on social media. "I know it’s hard for you to see me perform like today, but I need more time and hopefully can get back to where I was."

On Monday, defending champion Matteo Berrettini was also knocked out of Stuttgart by countryman Lorenzo Sonego, 6-1, 6-2. The upsets continued on Tuesday, with Beatriz Haddad Maia falling to lucky loser Daria Snigur 6-4, 6-3  in the opening round of her own title defense at the WTA 250 in Nottingham.