Kyrgios' Comeback Stalled by Wrist Injury at Indian Wells

Nick Kyrgios's comeback has suffered a setback with the Australian retiring from his first-round ATP Tour match at Indian Wells. Kyrgios trailed Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp 7-6 (9/7), 3-0 in their match at the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday night when he pulled out due to a right wrist injury.

Kyrgios, who held a set point in the first set tiebreaker, spoke with the trainer before becoming visibly upset knowing his night was over. The 29-year-old wiped away tears before walking over to van de Zandschulp and conceding the match.

"I wasn't too confident that I was going to be able to play today," Kyrgios said. "Two days ago in practice, I had to stop my practice because I felt pain in my wrist, but I felt like it was OK to take to the court."

The withdrawal follows Kyrgios's first-round exit at January's Australian Open, after which he said he had likely played his last singles match at Melbourne Park. It was his first appearance at a major since making the 2022 US Open quarterfinals, before then requiring wrist and knee surgeries.