Nick Kyrgios hints at quitting Miami Open despite first win in more than two years | Tennis | Sport

Nick Kyrgios has hinted that his Miami Open campaign could already be over despite winning his first match in more than two years. The former world No. 13 came from a set down to beat qualifier Mackenzie McDonald 3-6 6-3 6-4 on Wednesday, just days after he was left in tears when he retired injured in Indian Wells.The Australian spent two years sidelined with knee and wrist injuries and questioned whether he could play professional tennis again. While his long-awaited win provided some extra motivation, Kyrgios admitted he had to be “realistic” about the condition of his wrist ahead of his next match.Kyrgios struggled when he returned from his two-year layoff in January, suffering first-round exits at the Brisbane International and Australian Open.He didn’t play another match until Indian Wells earlier this month, retiring while trailing Botic van de Zandschulp by a set and a break in the first round.The 29-year-old bounced back in time to play his opening match in Miami, where he earned his first win since October 2022. Kyrgios is now set to face Karen Khachanov in a rematch of their US Open quarter-final two-and-a-half years ago, which Khachanov won.But the Aussie admitted he needed to see how his wrist felt after winning a three-set match, hinting that he could be forced to pull out of the tournament.“I thought I’d never play tennis again, to be brutally honest with you. That was going that way,” Kyrgios said after his comeback win against McDonald.“I’ve had conversations with my camp and my team, guys who are leaving their families to be here with me. I was like, ‘Look, I don’t know how long I can keep doing this for’.“This puts a bit more petrol in the tank. But I’ve got to be realistic. I’ll see how my wrist pulls up tomorrow. It is a grind out here.”The Australian doubled down on his comments while speaking to Sky Sports. He added: “It’s never pain-free. Playing an hour and a half against a top player, I don’t know how it’s going to pull up tomorrow.“I’ll do everything I can. You know how it goes, recovery now, nice dinner, get to the physio, get some sleep and see how it pulls up.”In September 2023, Kyrgios underwent what he described as a “full wrist reconstruction” surgery. It took months of rehab and recovery to hit a ball again.Since making his comeback in January, the former Wimbledon finalist has continued to face problems with his wrist. He claimed it started “throbbing” during his comeback match in Brisbane earlier this year.Kyrgios also halted a recent practice session in Indian Wells when he felt pain in his wrist. After retiring from his first-round match, he said: “I wasn’t too confident that I was going to be able to play today, to be honest.“Two days ago in practice, I had to stop my practice because I felt pain in my wrist. I felt like it was OK to take to the court [but it] just got progressively worse. I started feeling sharp pain in my wrist.”The seven-time title winner has already come a long way since his retirement in the Californian desert 12 days ago. But it remains to be seen whether he can continue his campaign in Miami after earning a long-awaited victory.



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