Nick Kyrgios Plans To Play In Indian Wells Despite Injury Scare In Practice
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Nick Kyrgios' chances of competing at the 2025 Indian Wells Open looked to be in doubt, but the ATP star has confirmed he plans to play in his opening-round singles match.
The Australian's fans were concerned after footage of him being in pain during practice circulated online. Kyrgios clutched his wrist in pain before eventually deciding he could not go on, cutting the session short.
Unfortunately for Kyrgios, he has suffered from a severe wrist injury for years. That problem, along with a knee injury, is why he had only made one professional tournament appearance in two years before the start of this season.
How Kyrgios talked about his wrist made many understandably doubt his chances of being fit for the Indian Wells Open. After losing in the opening round of the 2025 Australian Open, the 29-year-old said he had probably played his last singles match at the tournament because of his wrist.
However, during an interview with the Tennis Channel, Kyrgios clarified that he had practiced for an hour and felt good before feeling some pain in his wrist. He is confident of being ready for his opening-round match against Botic van de Zandschulp.
"Yeah I had practiced for an hour, and second to last point, felt my wrist a little bit. It just seems that I can't catch a break with my body, but these are just things you have to navigate, we're all navigating things in our lives and this is the challenge in front of me. I'll do everything I can to be ready."
Although Kyrgios rates his chances of playing in Indian Wells, he also admitted that the reality of how troublesome his wrist will continue to be has hit him and mentioned other players who had been severely impacted by wrist problems.
"I still feel like I want to win some matches and make some noise, but now I understand how much work goes into even getting into the start line. You look at some of the guys who have had wrist surgery. [Juan Martin] Del Potro, [Dominic] Thiem, and [Kei] Nishikori, it takes some time to get back to the level you once were, and you may never get there."
"Thiem was a Grand Slam champion and didn't really scratch the surface when he came back. I understood the challenge that was in front of me. It's almost tougher now because I see the reality of how my wrist actually is."
Nonetheless, Kyrgios still believes in his ability. The 2022 Wimbledon runner-up will play Novak Djokovic in the second round if he can beat lucky loser van de Zandschulp, and he realizes how many fans want to see that matchup.
"Obviously when you see a qualifier and then Djokovic and things like that, I still back myself and I'm confident to get there, but everyone's capable, everyone can play such high-level tennis."
"I'm not going to look ahead at all, but it's hard not to. I open social media and I see 'Kyrgios vs Djokovic'. I didn't ask for it, but I'm really looking forward to just getting out there and competing against whoever I am drawn against."
