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Just getting on the court could be seen as a triumph for the Australian, who has been plagued by wrist and knee injuries since making the Wimbledon final in 2022.

In the three years since that four-set loss to Novak Djokovic, the 30 year-old has played just 10 matches - six singles and four doubles. 

His last appearance was a straight sets loss to Karen Khachanov at the Miami Open in March. 

In front of a raucous Citi Open crowd that included NBA star Kevin Durant, Kyrgios showed glimpses of the old magic, before he and Monfils succumbed to their opponents in straight sets.

'Knee cooked but fans still f**** with us,' Kyrgios posted on an Instragram story after the match. 

Although now ranked outside the top 600, Kyrgios has used a protected ranking of 21 to gain entry into the main singles draw of the US Open in September. 

Whether his body allows him to compete remains to be seen.