Kyrgios eases wrist pain concerns: “I want to win matches and make some noise”
The Australian may face Novak Djokovic in Indian Wells, should he progress past his first match
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Nick Kyrgios has alleviated worries after he was spotted grabbing his wrist in pain, during practice at Indian Wells – days before his first-round match.
The Australian made his comeback to the professional tennis tour in Brisbane – losing to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard – after an 18-month break due to various knee and wrist issues. This involved a serious surgery on his wrist in September 2023, after withdrawing from Wimbledon and the US Open.
“Look I was feeling great, I actually just practiced for a hour and second to last point I actually felt my wrist a little bit,” said the former Wimbledon finalist, speaking to the Tennis Channel.
“I mean it seems to be that point where I can’t really catch a break at the moment with my body, but these are just things you have to navigate. You know we’re all navigating different things in our lives and these are just the challenges in front of me, so I’ll do everything I can to be ready.
“I still feel like I want to win matches and make some noise, but now I just really understand the amount of work that goes into even just getting to the start line.
“I mean you look at some of the players that have had wrist surgery, [Juan Martin] Del Potro, [Dominic] Thiem and [Kei] Nishikori, it takes time to get back to that level that you once were and you may not ever get there. You know Thiem was a Grand Slam champion and wasn’t able to really scratch the surface coming back.”
I still feel like I want to win matches and make some noise
The Australian faces a potential blockbuster second-round match at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, with Novak Djokovic looming – should he beat former world No 29 Botic van de Zandschulp.
Speaking on the hypothetical clash, Kyrgios stated:
“It’s almost a bit tougher now, because I see the reality of you know how my wrist is. But when you see a qualifier and then [Novak] Djokovic, I still back myself and I’m confident to get there, but I know that everyone is capable and I know that everyone can play such a high level tennis so I’m going to not look ahead at all.
“You know it’s hard not to these days, I open social media and I see Kyrgios-Djokovic second round. I didn’t ask for it you know, I’m just really looking forward to getting out there and competing against whoever I get drawn to as a qualifier and see if I can have some fun.”
Kyrgios and Djokovic have met at the event before, with the former gaining a 6-4, 7-6(3) victory over the 24-time grand Slam champion back in 2017 – albeit in one of the Serb’s worst seasons.
