Months spent away from the circuit fighting doping allegations did Greg Rusedski no favours on Monday as the rusty Briton was ousted in the first round of the Stella Artois championships.

Rusedski, who was cleared of any doping offence in March despite having tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone, looked out of sorts losing 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 against Korean Lee Hyung-Taik.

The Briton was cleared after a tribunal ruled that the organisers of men's tennis, the ATP, had created the underlying situation in the first place by distributing tablets that appeared to have been contaminated by prohibited substances.

Despite being cleared, the legacy of Rusedski's ordeal was only too evident as he looked out of sorts and short of match practice.

The former U.S. Open runner-up, now ranked 103 in the world, has now lost his last five matches in top-level competition.

"To have all that rubbish for seven months... it has been very difficult," 30-year-old Rusedski said.

"It is frustrating because my mind knows what I have to do, but I'm not doing it.

"You know, even if you are just a little bit 'off' then you are packing your bags. I was more than a little bit 'off' today."

POTATO FARMER

On Monday he was given every chance to get off the mark against an opponent he had beaten on each of their previous three meetings and who was unfamiliar with the slick lawns of Queen's Club.

But despite winning the opening set in fairly routine fashion he allowed Lee, the son of a potato farmer, to dig his way out of trouble.

Rusedski's serve -- once the fastest in the world -- is still a potent weapon and it got him out of trouble on several occasions but it was not enough to save him.

Some of his backhands did not reach half way up the net, others floated metres long.

He let slip a break in the third set, having led 3-0 and 4-2, and Lee took advantage, serving out the match.

A furious Rusedski smashed his racket into his thigh as the match began to slip away.

"If you come off court and you are blase about that kind of thing then it is time to quit," he said.

He received some good news later in the day, though, when Wimbledon organisers said they would award him a wildcard into the grasscourt Grand Slam later this month.

Also awarded a wildcard were Britons Alex Bogdanovic, Lee Childs and Jonathan Marray, who on Monday posted the best win of his nascent career.

Marray, who had never previously won a match on the ATP Tour, beat Belgium's Christophe Rochus 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.

"This is probably my best win against a player ranked so high (115th) in the world," the 23-year-old said.