ATP Indian Wells, Kyrgios withdraws in tears: "Wrist issues"

Indian Wells, March 7 (LaPresse) – Nick Kyrgios's return to the Indian Wells tournament ended in tears. The Australian withdrew midway through his opening match against Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp due to a wrist injury, which had previously put his participation in doubt. The 29-year-old, who underwent surgery in September 2023, broke down in tears after losing the first set in a tiebreak 9-7 and trailing 3-0 in the second. He held his head in his hands when he realized he wouldn’t be able to continue. "I don’t mind losing a match, but I think it’s just the amount of work I’ve put in and the fact that my wrist is still bothering me so much. I think the reason I got emotional at the end is because this is one of my favorite tournaments," said the Canberra native, who has played very little since his stellar season in mid-2022, which brought him close to the top 10. The knee injury suffered at the Japan Open in October prematurely ended that season. "At this point, it's all an experiment. I was told I’d probably never play tennis again. But I feel like I can still compete. Van de Zandschulp beat Alcaraz at the US Open in three sets, and I had a chance to win the first set. I’m there, but if I can’t finish matches, it doesn’t really matter at this point. I’m not too sure right now. I don’t even know how tomorrow will go. Right now, I feel sore. We’ll see how it goes," he explained.