nick kyrgios – Breaking News Updates

Kyrgios retires with injury at Indian Wells, unsure what’s next

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Nick Kyrgios expressed his frustration to reporters Thursday night and said he was unclear about what was next after he retired from his first-round match at the BNP Paribas Open against Botic Van De Zandschulp.

Kyrgios trailed 7-6 (7), 3-0 when he was forced to retire due to a wrist injury that has sidelined him for much of the past two seasons.

“It’s all an experiment at this point,” Kyrgios said. “I was told I was arguably maybe not ever playing tennis again. [But] I feel I’m like right there. I feel like I can compete.

“[Van De Zandschulp] beat [Carlos] Alcaraz at [the 2024] US Open in straight sets, and I’ve got set points against him in the first set. I’m there, but if I’m not able to finish matches it doesn’t really matter at this point. I’m not too sure right now. I don’t even … I’m not sure how it’s going to pull up tomorrow. It feels relatively pretty sore at the moment. We’ll see how it goes.”

Kyrgios, a 29-year-old native of Australia, played just one match in 2023 and was absent from the tour for all of the 2024 season because of injuries and surgeries to his right wrist and knee. He made his return to competition in Brisbane in January and has yet to win a singles match in three tournaments played, including the Australian Open.

Playing at Indian Wells on a protected ranking, Kyrgios aggravated his wrist at practice Tuesday, saying he felt a sharp pain nearing the end of his session while hitting a forehand, and his status for his match had been unclear leading in. But he insisted he wanted to play and expressed how much he loved the tournament.

Kyrgios immediately fell into a 4-1 hole in the opening set, but — much to the delight of the crowd at Stadium 1 — fought his way to force a tiebreak and showed moments of his signature showmanship and brilliance. But, he said, the pain continued to progress until it simply was too much. He looked near tears as he sat in his chair during a medical timeout before making the decision to retire.

The enigmatic Kyrgios has long been considered one of the most talented players on tour, but despite a career-high ranking of No. 13, seven ATP titles and a 2022 Wimbledon final appearance, he has never quite lived up to the expectations. He said despite the “love/hate relationship” he has had with the sport for much of his career, the surgeries and the setbacks have made him realize how much he wants to play.

“I want to go out there and I want to compete,” Kyrgios said. “When I had the surgery 18 months ago, if I really didn’t want to play, I didn’t have to rehab, I didn’t have to try and get back on the court. I want to play. I knew I was going to be in discomfort tonight after two days ago, but I took the court.”

Kyrgios said it angered him that he wasn’t able to finish the match and said how much he enjoyed play Thursday.

Kyrgios said he had previously planned on next playing Miami, which gets underway on March 19, but he was unsure if he will be able to.

“Obviously the time frame of Miami is not ideal, but, you know, I was scheduled to play that, so I will see how my wrist responds,” he said. “And if not Miami, I will keep looking forward. I can’t keep looking back and being disappointed. Otherwise I don’t know how much enjoyment I will have in that.”

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Novak Djokovic said ahead of the BNP Paribas Open that he is healthy and the viral video of him hobbling into the airport following last month’s tournament in Doha was unrelated to the hamstring injury that forced him to retire from his Australian Open semifinal match in January.

“It was really, yeah, awkward to see that video, because I arrived to the airport and I hit myself really badly as I was walking out, because it was very early, I think, 4 or 5 a.m. I was just limping because I hit myself badly in the ankle,” Djokovic, the tournament’s No. 6 seed, said Thursday. “That’s all. It was just a hit. It was nothing else. But then people connected it to the injury and thought it was something escalating and coming back.

“But anyway, I’m feeling good. I really look forward coming to Indian Wells and Miami this year. I’ll play the Sunshine Double first time after, I think, six years.”

Djokovic, 37, lost in his first-round match in Doha to Matteo Berrettini and drew concern after the airport video appeared on social media. He has not played since. Following a first-round bye, he is slated to open play in Indian Wells on Saturday against the winner of Thursday’s match between Botic van de Zandschulp and Nick Kyrgios, who Djokovic defeated in the 2022 Wimbledon final.

Djokovic is a five-time champion at the BNP Paribas Open, most recently in 2016, and is in search of his 100th ATP title. He would become just the third man to do so, joining Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer. While he won Olympic gold in Paris last summer, the Serbian star has not won a tour title since 2023 and has openly struggled with motivation at times — but said he was excited to play the Sunshine Double events in the United States this month.

“Other than Slams, [there are] few tournaments that really give me inspiration when I wake up in the morning and think about where I want to do well,” Djokovic said. “Indian Wells and Miami are definitely at the top of that list.”

He added he was excited to have former rival-turned-coach Andy Murray by his side for both events and said the two will speak after Miami and ensure they want to continue working together.

“I was very glad when he decided to keep going, Indian Wells, Miami, and yeah, most of the clay-court season,” Djokovic said. “… I think the plan is to go all the way till the end of Roland Garros, I think, and yeah, hopefully Wimbledon, as well.”

ESPN

EDITOR’S PICKS

Can Taylor Fritz win the Indian Wells title again?
2dD’Arcy Maine

Djokovic healthy despite ‘awkward’ viral video
4hD’Arcy Maine

Fonseca rallies to win BNP Paribas Open debut
4h

EDITOR’S PICKS

The BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells: What to know and who to watch
2dD’Arcy Maine

Nick Kyrgios in tears as tennis career in jeopardy after latest injury blow

Nick Kyrgios was inconsolable on Friday after another brutal setback as his tennis career stutters towards a sad conclusion.

Nick Kyrgios’ tennis career has been plunged into doubt after the Aussie retired from his first-round match at the Indian Wells Masters.

Kyrgios was down 7-6(7) 3-0 to Botic van de Zandschulp when the pain of his troublesome wrist became too much to bear for the 29-year-old.

The Aussie called in a physio and looked dejected and cried into his hands as his wrist was attended to, before officially retiring from the match.

Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer.

Playing for the first time since an opening-round exit at the Australian Open in January, which came after a first-round loss in Brisbane where he started his comeback from injury, Kyrgios struggled throughout with his wrist.

He re-aggravated the injury during practice for the tournament and came into the match with it heavily strapped up.

In a valiant display, Kyrgios showed glimpses of his brilliant best as he fought back from 4-1 down in the first set to earn a set point, but lost it, before his opponent won the next two points, and the set, 9-7 in the tie-breaker.

Down 3-0 in the second set, having flexed his wrist consistently throughout, Kyrgios called for a medical time-out, before realising he just couldn’t continue on.

The blow came after Kyrgios conceded pre-match the “reality” of trying to climb back to the top of the tennis mountain with a surgically repaired wrist had begun to set in.

“There was a time I was a contender at all these events and after the surgeries I’ve had, especially on my right wrist, it’s not fair to put those expectations on me,” he said before his opening match.

“I still feel like I want to win matches and make some noise, but now I really understand the amount of work that just goes into getting to the start line.

“Especially when you look at some of the payers who have had wrist surgery . it takes time to get back to the he level and you may not ever get there.

“I understand the challenge that as in front of me, it’s almost a bit tougher now because I see the reality of how my wrist is.”

Kyrgios said hurting himself in practice didn’t help his cause and hinted he may need to retire in the near future and focus on his career after tennis.

“I practised for an hour and this second last point felt my wrist a little bit,” he said.

“It seems to be that point where I can’t really catch a break with my body but these are just things you have to navigate . this is the challenge in front of me.”

“I’ve definitely still got a bit of tennis to play,” he said.

“But I think my media career will be taking off. “

– with NewsWire

Our Apps

More Coverage

Sign Up

About Us

Help And Support

Our News Network

Our Partners

news.com.au00:58

Nick Kyrgios in tears as sad reality sets in

Some of the biggest names in tennis are gathering in Indian Wells, California this week for the BNB Paribas Open, AKA the Indian Wells Open. The tennis tournament runs from Wednesday, Mar. 5 – Sunday, Mar. 16. Defending champions Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz will both return to seek another victory. American tennis stars Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton will all compete on the court. The action will air on Tennis Channel, T2 and streaming on TC Plus. Are you ready to watch? Here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 Indian Wells Open.

Dates: Mar. 5 – Mar. 16, 2025

Coverage start time: 11 a.m. PT

Location: Indian Wells Tennis Garden, California

TV channel: Tennis Channel, T2

Streaming: TC Plus

The BNP Paribas Open, AKA Indian Wells Open, kicks off with the men’s and women’s first rounds on Wednesday, Mar. 5, 2025. The tournament runs through Sunday, Mar. 16.

In the U.S., Indian Wells coverage will air on Tennis Channel and its free second network, Tennis Channel 2 (T2). Coverage will also stream on Tennis Channel Plus (TC Plus).

Don’t have access to the Tennis Channel? Don’t worry. You can get Tennis channel coverage through a live TV streaming service like DirecTV or Fubo. You can also catch most coverage of the tournament (minus the semis and final) on T2, a free Tennis Channel subsidiary, You can access T2 totally free on platforms like Amazon Freevee, Amazon Fire TV channels, The Roku Channel, Vizio WatchFree+ and MyFree DIRECTV.

You can also stream the whole tournament on the Tennis Channel’s streaming service, TC Plus.

Any DirecTV Stream package gets you access to all the usual sports suspects: ESPN, NFL Network, ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX.

But did you know DirecTV has a totally free streaming option? MyFree DirecTV lets you sign up without any sort of payment info and stream a slate of free, ad-supported channels via DirecTV — including T2.

T2 is currently available as a free channel to stream on Amazon’s free streaming service, Freevee. This ad-supported, totally free streaming platform also offers popular titles like Schitt’s Creek, Person of Interest, The Twilight Zone and the Freevee original Jury Duty.

You’ll need a mobile device, smart TV or streaming stick to access the Freevee app.

The Tennis Channel’s streaming service is the simplest way to watch the entirety of the BNB Paribas Open. They’ll have every match played at Indian Wells available live, plus replays and highlights. A subscription starts at $10/month, or $110 annually.

Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys, America’s big three-star tennis players (currently occupying the third, fourth and fifth world ranking spots, respectively), will all be on the court this week alongside Aryna Sabalenka and defending champion Iga Swiatek.

On the men’s side, Jannik Sinner will be absent, but two-time defending champ Carlos Alcaraz will be playing, along with Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic.

All times are PT

Wednesday, March 5

Women’s & Men’s 1st Round – Tennis Channel, T2, TC Plus

Day Session Starts – 11:00 a.m.