Quote of the Day: Nick Kyrgios was “pretty close to crying” after first win since 2022

Playing with a numb wrist and on “like five painkillers,” the Aussie took down Mackenzie McDonald in the first round of the Miami Open.

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As Mackenzie McDonald’s last forehand sailed long on Wednesday afternoon, Nick Kyrgios turned to his team and pointed to his temple, then closed his eyes and appeared to breathe a deep sigh of relief.

The 2022 Wimbledon finalist had just closed out an emotional 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory against the American, scoring his first match win in almost three years at the Miami Open presented by Itau amid a long battle with injuries and undergoing surgery for his troublesome right wrist.

“It was pretty heavy for me, personally,” Kyrgios admitted in a post-match interview. “Just the day-by-day process to even be able to hit a tennis ball again was insane. I spoke to my team after Indian Wells, and I was like, I don’t know how long I can keep doing this for.

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“I was close to being emotional on court, but I want to be strong in those moments. It was tough.”

The result was a total turnaround after the disappointment of last week, when Kyrgios re-injured his surgically repaired wrist at the end of a pre-tournament practice session at the BNP Paribas Open. He took the court for his opening match against Botic van de Zandschulp, but couldn’t continue and was forced to retire 7-6 (7), 3-0.

INTERVIEW: Nick Kyrgios, after his first win since 2022, on silencing the doubters

Now, he’s past the opening hurdle at a tournament for the first time since October 2022, and set to face No. 22 seed Karen Khachanov in the second round:

Q: Your first match win on tour since 2022; what goes through your mind when you hear that?

KYRGIOS: I’m not gonna lie, I was pretty close to crying on court. I just think about the last two years, and it’s been pretty brutal to be honest. I was in a cast for 12 weeks, couldn’t move my wrist, and the surgeons were saying I’d never play again.

And I was listening to a lot of the outside noise, you know, about whether I’d be able to play at this level, and win. Playing is one thing, but winning matches and executing is another thing. So yeah, I can’t believe it.

I don’t think it’s sunk in yet—because I used to actually win a fair bit! So at the same time it feels normal. I don’t think it’s really sunk in that I was in a place where I couldn’t hit a fluffy tennis ball to now beating a solid player.

It’s pretty surreal, but I know the tournament is not over and I haven’t won the tournament or anything.

“I just think about the last two years, and it’s been pretty brutal to be honest. I was in a cast for 12 weeks, couldn’t move my wrist, and the surgeons were saying I’d never play again… I can’t believe it.”

© Matt Fitzgerald

Kyrgios says he took four days off after his Indian Wells exit, and did physiotherapy “day in and day out” to give his wrist the best chance at recovery. The nature of his injury and the complex surgery it required makes things even trickier for Kygrios: “I can’t just text Dominic Thiem and be like, ‘Hey bro you had a wrist surgery, what were the setbacks you had?’” he quipped.

For now, the Aussie is taking things one day at a time as he accepts that “there’s always going to be pain” in his wrist, and he admitted to being on “like five painkillers before I play” to ensure it stays numb during matches.

For now, he intends to maximize his protected ranking to enter tournaments and play out the entire season—but admits his schedule is a “day to day process” as he continues to manage his injury.

“I know I could probably get wild cards at most of the events, but I don’t want to be taking other people’s opportunities,” he explained. “There’s a lot of good, young players at these events and I don’t like just going in and taking wild cards, because that’s their development.

“Look, I’ll see how this week goes. Will I beat Khachanov? Probably not. But I’ll give it a go and then we’ll see.”