Lorenzi cramps Kyle’s style as jinx strikes again
KYLE EDMUND limped out in the first round as his US Open injury jinx struck again with a shock loss to veteran Italian Paolo Lorenzi.
Court 13 proved desperately unlucky for the British No.1 as he suffered from cramp and blamed a mystery virus for lacking fitness.
Edmund was forced to retire with a back injury last year in New York and the 23-year-old struggled again as he slumped to a 6-4 4-6 5-7 1-6 defeat.
Edmund, who could now be a Davis Cup doubt, said: “It was pretty horrible at the end with cramp and it’s an indication of where I am at right now.
“A few things have been happening recently and I need to get stronger and fitter. I’ve had a virus but I don’t want to go into too much detail.
“It has put me back quite a bit which is a shame. It’s an illness that takes it out of you. I had it after the Australian Open. I don’t know if I need a break – nobody has a crystal ball.”
Former champion Stan Wawrinka defeated Grigor Dimitrov in the first round for the second successive Slam.
The result came as a surprise at Wimbledon, with Wawrinka just back from a bad knee injury.
But that victory has been the catalyst for an upturn in form and with Dimitrov having a poor season, Wawrinka’s 6-3 6-2 7-5 win here wasn’t a huge shock.