Nick Kyrgios marked a significant milestone in his comeback journey by securing his first victory in over two years at the Miami Open. He triumphed over Mackie McDonald with scores of 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Onlookers noticed Kyrgios sporting a substantial wrap of beige tape on his right wrist, which had undergone surgery. The Australian tennis star admitted that he felt his wrist was numb even after consuming five painkillers. “Honestly, I was almost in tears on the court. Reflecting on the past two years, it’s been incredibly tough,” shared Kyrgios, who was the runner-up at Wimbledon in 2022 against Novak Djokovic. He recounted the challenging journey back to the sport after being in a wrist cast for 12 weeks, during which he faced doubts from surgeons about his ability to play at a competitive level again.
The 29-year-old player’s last victory happened in October 2022 against Kamil Majchrzak during a Tokyo tournament. Unfortunately, his progress was halted due to injuries that necessitated surgeries on his wrist and knee, which sidelined him for most of 2023 and all of 2024. Consequently, this year began with a shaky 0-3 record until his recent match. His drop in activity led him to tumble from a career-high ATP ranking of No. 13 to No. 892. Utilizing a protected ranking, he entered the Miami Open, where he previously reached the semifinals in both 2016 and 2017.
Reflecting on his recent success, Kyrgios stated, “I used to win quite frequently, so it feels familiar, though it’s surreal knowing I moved from a state where I couldn’t hit a tennis ball to defeating a strong opponent.” Demonstrating his powerful serve, he delivered 13 aces against McDonald, a player ranked 101st who entered the Miami Open after successful qualifiers.
Next on Kyrgios’ schedule is a face-off with the No. 22 seed Karen Khachanov, a player with a history of reaching Grand Slam semifinals. The upcoming match is set to continue their past encounters, including their notable five-set matches at the 2020 Australian Open and the 2022 U.S. Open, with each winning one match. Kyrgios remarked on his history with Khachanov, noting, “We basically grew up together through juniors. He’s incredibly hardworking and professional, basically the opposite of me. If I manage to start the match, I’ll give it my all, but who knows if it’ll be how things were before between us.”
