Kyle Edmund returns from almost two-year layoff: "I didn’t pick up a racquet for five or six months"

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Kyle Edmund is a tennis player again.

The 27-year-old from Great Britain is playing this week's ATP event in Washington, D.C., having been off the tour for almost two years with multiple knee surgeries.

''It’s extremely rewarding to be back,” he told the ATP Tour’s website this week. “There were times when there was no progression, no improvement. But I was willing to exhaust all avenues to get back.

“I didn’t pick up a racquet for five or six months. I just wanted to play tennis.”

The Grand Slam semifinalist, who has been as high as the Top 15 during his career, started his comeback slowly, dipping his toe into competition by playing mixed doubles at Wimbledon, then qualifying for the ATP Challenger in Winnipeg.

"I played three matches in a week and came away with some wins, so that was a bonus. Lots of positives to take away," he said.

Edmund will now increase his schedule, playing another Challenger-level event and then the ATP 250 event in Winston-Salem—aiming simply to not "have many down days physically," rather than concentrating on winning straightaway.

He's taking inspiration from compatriot Andy Murray, who is now back in the Top 50 for the first time following hip resurfacing surgery in 2019.

"When you see what Andy has gone through with his various surgeries, you can see he had to work extremely hard to get back and go through quite a bit of pain,” Edmund said. “I found with this type of injury you had to have so much self-motivation, because you could just pack it in.

"It showed me that I loved the game. If I didn’t love it, it would have been easy to walk away. There were plenty of opportunities to do that."

Edmund is No. 636 in the rankings. He faces Japanese qualifier Yosuke Watanuki in the Citi Open first round.