Nick Kyrgios Breaks Down in Tears at Indian Wells as Injury Disrupts Aussie’s Career Once More

Emotional scenes unfolded as Nick Kyrgios broke down in tears following his retirement from the first round of the Indian Wells tournament in California on Friday (AEDT), devastated by yet another injury setback in his career.

Kyrgios faced off against Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp, losing the first set 7-6(7) and soon finding himself trailing 3-0 in the second set.

At this juncture, the Australian opted to withdraw from the match, grappling with a persistent wrist injury that has haunted him.

His exit from Indian Wells occurred just hours after fellow Australian Ajla Tomljanovic also had to retire, as she withdrew from her match against American Caty McNally due to a shoulder injury.

Tomljanovic was trailing in the first set at 6-4 and could not continue.

The Croatian-born athlete, previously ranked as high as 32nd in the world, had recently re-entered the top 100 following a strong performance that saw her reach the semi-finals of a WTA Tour event in Austin earlier this month.

Tomljanovic achieved a career-high ranking of 32nd in April 2023, but has faced a challenging time since, primarily due to knee issues.

Her ranking dropped to 549th by November 2023, forcing her to undertake a tough journey back to form after recovering from injury.

Meanwhile, a combination of knee and wrist ailments kept Kyrgios from competing in any professional matches throughout 2024.

He also incurred an abdominal tear early in the year, which prevented him from taking part in an exhibition match against Novak Djokovic and hampered his performance at the Australian Open.

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During the Australian Open in January, Kyrgios was eliminated in the first round by Great Britain’s Jacob Fearnley, also losing his doubles match alongside partner Thanasi Kokkinakis, who both withdrew midway due to wrist and shoulder injuries.

“To be honest, I can’t envision playing singles here again,” Kyrgios expressed after his withdrawal during the Melbourne tournament.

The Canberra native is set to celebrate his 30th birthday next month.