Nick Kyrgios provides update on wrist concern and says whether he’s planning to play at Indian Wells now

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Nick Kyrgios has endured a tough couple of years with injuries and has now faced another setback ahead of his return to Indian Wells.

Kyrgios officially returned in Brisbane back in January, having been absent from the ATP Tour for nearly two years after undergoing both knee and wrist surgeries.

However, the wrist in particular started to cause him problems soon into his comeback, with Kyrgios casting doubt over his future after losing in the first round of the Australian Open to Jacob Fearnley.

The former Wimbledon finalist elected not to play the Davis Cup due to injury, and Kyrgios also withdrew from a UTS (Ultimate Tennis Showdown) event in Guadalajara.

After spending over a month away from the matchcourt, Kyrgios was set to make his return at Indian Wells.

Nick Kyrgios provides update on wrist concern and gives Indian Wells update

With Kyrgios set to play at the Californian Masters 1000 tournament for the first time since 2022, the Australian was spotted practising at Indian Wells.

Despite being on court for an hour, disaster appeared to strike as Kyrgios was seen holding his wrist in pain and soon after left the court.

When speaking to Tennis Channel, Kyrgios provided an update on this injury and suggested that he is still planning to take to court at Indian Wells.

The seven-time ATP title winner also referenced other players who have undergone wrist surgeries, as he spoke of the toll that it has taken on him.

“Look I was feeling great, I actually just practised for a hour and second to last point I actually felt my wrist a little bit,” said Kyrgios. “I mean it seems to be that point where I can’t really catch a break at the moment with my body, but these are just things you have to navigate. You know we’re all navigating different things in our lives and these are just the challenges in front of me, so I’ll do everything I can to be ready.

The 29-year-old continued, “I still feel like I want to win matches and make some noise, but now I just really understand the amount of work that goes into even just getting to the start line.

“I mean you look at some of the players that have had wrist surgery, [Juan Martin] Del Potro, [Dominic] Thiem and [Kei] Nishikori, it takes time to get back to that level that you once were and you may not ever get there. You know Thiem was a Grand Slam champion and wasn’t able to really scratch the surface coming back.

“So, I understand the challenge that was in front of me. It’s almost a bit tougher now, because I see the reality of you know how my wrist is. But when you see a qualifier and then [Novak] Djokovic, I still back myself and I’m confident to get there, but I know that everyone is capable and I know that everyone can play such a high level tennis so I’m going to not look ahead at all.

“You know it’s hard not to these days, I open social media and I see Kyrgios-Djokovic second round. I didn’t ask for it you know, I’m just really looking forward to getting out there and competing against whoever I get drawn to as a qualifier and see if I can have some fun.”

Kyrgios played Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final three years ago, and could have a rematch if he is to reach the second round of Indian Wells.

First, Kyrgios will have to overcome lucky loser Botic van de Zandschulp, who beat Rafael Nadal in the last match of his career and Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open.

Nick Kyrgios’ record at Indian Wells

Kyrgios has made five previous appearances at Indian Wells, having won 64% of his matches at the tournament.

The former world number 13 has only ever either reached the second round or quarter-finals in those five appearances.

His last appearance at Indian Wells was the latter, with Kyrgios losing to Nadal in a fiery quarter-final encounter.

Kyrgios has never played Van de Zandschulp before, with the pair taking to the court for a first-time meeting on Thursday March 6 on Stadium 1.

The reward for the winner will be a second round match with five-time Indian Wells champion Djokovic.