Injured Kyrgios Refuses To Retire, Produces Show In First-Round Australian Open Exit
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Nick Kyrgios showed his fighting spirit and willingness to deliver for the Australian fans, but that was not enough to win his first-round match at the 2025 Australian Open.
It wasn't clear whether Kyrgios would be able to play at the Australian Open this year. He started his season at the Brisbane International, losing in a battle of three tie-breaks to big-serving Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
After the match, the 29-year-old Australian didn't provide the most positive update, as he admitted that his wrist was in pain. That certainly made Australian fans worried, especially so close to the Grand Slam in Melbourne.
Only a few days later, the worries intensified. Kyrgios withdrew from his exhibition match against Novak Djokovic, but the reason was not his troubling wrist but an abdominal injury, which he picked up in Brisbane.
Still, he insisted on playing at the 2025 Australian Open, but it didn't prove to be a very productive decision. Kyrgios took on Jacob Fearnley at the John Cain Arena, and early into the match, it became obvious that he likely wouldn't be able to delight the home crowd.
Australians were on fire on Monday, having won the vast majority of their matches, but Kyrgios would need a miracle to add his name to the list, and it wasn't because of his tennis.
Already in the first games of the match, Kyrgios started grimacing. By the time he was leading 4-3 in the first set, he complained to his team that he wasn't able to serve properly, and his serve speeds reflected that.
For a few games, the Australian player angrily talked to his team. It was obvious he probably wasn't happy about the preparation for his match, or the decision to even play.
It appeared that Kyrgios was angry at his fitness coach for giving him the green light to play, even though it seemed like he wasn't fit enough to compete.
But in one of the exchanges with his team, he insisted that since he was on the court already, he might as well continue playing through an injury, even though that meant an almost sure loss.
Kyrgios' primary weapon is his serve, as he's one of the best servers on the ATP Tour. With his serve significantly impacted, his chances of winning the match almost disappeared.
Still, he has decided to continue fighting. The first set was decided in a tie-break. While Fearnley held his serve easily, the Australian player lost it twice, so Fearnley was able to win the tie-break easily, 7-3.
While Kyrgios struggled on his serve, his problem was also the fact that Fearnley served well, so he couldn't get to any break points. That's why one break of serve was enough for the British player to win the second set 6-3.
Although it might have seemed that Kyrgios' chances of winning the match were non-existent at this point, he continued fighting, and it was certainly well worth it. At least for the fans at the John Cain Arena.
After being broken at the start of the third set, Kyrgios was already 1-3 down, but what followed was a moment of magic. Out of nowhere, he was able to break Fearnley's serve and start a proper show.
Kyrgios was hitting shots that fans wanted to see him hitting, even incorporating a behind-the-back shot into one of the rallies he won. As a result, he led 4-3 in the third set, only moments after it appeared that he was almost out of the Australian Open.
In the next few games, the fans at the John Cain Arena continued receiving reasons to cheer as loudly as they could. And they did. The atmosphere was incredible, and both players were enjoying it, even though Kyrgios wasn't fit, and his opponent was the one who was cheered against.
The third set reached a tie-break, and Kyrgios didn't play it well. First, he attempted an unsuccessful serve and volley, and then he tried risking with a big second serve, which ended in a double fault.
Unfortunately for the home crowd, he wasn't able to win the set and dramatize the match. On the other hand, Fearnley was certainly happy to keep it in three sets, beating Kyrgios 7-6(3), 6-3, 7-6(2).
While Fearnley will now prepare for his second-round match against Arthur Cazaux, Kyrgios will want to assess his injury and start another recovery process.
