Nick Kyrgios has delivered an emotional statement to fans online in which he claimed he wanted to ‘enjoy whatever is left in this tennis journey’ after the 29-year-old was forced to retire through injury at the BNP Paribas Open on Friday.
The Aussie tennis star was left holding his head in his hands on the court at Indian Wells after he was forced to retire from his match against Botic van de Zanschulp on Friday.
The 29-year-old, who had pulled up early in a training session last week due to his troublesome wrist injury, had gone 7-6 down in the opening set to his Dutch opponent.
But after being broken by his opponent to go 3-0 down in the second set, Kyrgios was unable to continue due to his right wrist injury.
It was the latest setback in the Aussie star’s injury comeback, with Kyrgios having struggled with the wrist injury during his last ATP Tour appearance at Melbourne Park, where he had again raised fears among some fans over his future in the sport.
Over the weekend, Kyrgios took to TikTok to address fans over his withdrawal, publishing an image of himself playing tennis with two captions.
Nick Kyrgios has raised fears over his future in tennis after the Aussie star sent a message to fans on TikTok this weekend
It came after he was forced to retire from his match against Botic van de Zandschulp due to his troublesome wrist injury
Kyrgios told fans on social media that he wanted to ‘enjoy whatever is left in this tennis journey’
‘Emotional night for me,’ he said. ‘But I really appreciate everyone who’s helped me keep my head up. You know who you are.’
Kyrgios, who had undergone ligament reconstruction surgery and had been ruled out for over a year due to the injury, also told fans that he wanted to ‘enjoy whatever is left in this tennis journey’.
‘Gotta let go of what was,’ he added. ‘You are a new person, new player now.
‘It ain’t easy,’ but you have to enjoy whatever is left in this tennis journey. I’m a competitor, I aways think I’m capable and always want to play my best.
‘But that also stems frustration and anger to myself.
‘I have to be kinder – it’s a blessing to still be able to play this sport that has given me so much.’
Coming into the match, his first appearance on the ATP Tour since he was knocked out in the first round of the Australian Open by Jacob Fearnley in January, Kyrgios had admitted he was uncertain whether he would be able to play against Van de Zandschulp.
He told reporters that he had ‘started to feel a sharp pain in his wrist’.
It compounds further woes for the shattered Aussie who admitted his anguish at having worked so hard to come back from undergoing wrist surgery
Kyrgios admitted the anguish of having to retire from the match after having jumped through countless hoops to be fit to play again had made him emotional on the court.
‘It’s just more so I guess the amount of work I’ve put in to get back, and just to know that it’s not — like, I can play some, there are glimpses of some really good tennis that I can still play,’ Kyrgios said.
‘I guess this process has been probably one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced in my life. ‘In reality, it’s not too bad, but for my tennis career, it’s by far the biggest. Just the amount of work that goes in when I go back home or when I’m not playing, it’s not fun. I know that I can’t really be doing any more to try and get back and play.
‘It’s just like the process of, even if I lose that match, I don’t want to — like, I don’t mind losing if I don’t feel, you know — I know it’s going to be uncomfortable but I don’t want to feel the pain I was feeling. I’m okay to lose a match. I’ve lost matches in my career many times.
‘I guess it’s just the amount of work I put in and I’m still having so much discomfort in my wrist. That’s why I got a bit emotional towards the end because it’s one of my favourite tournaments. You know, even after the Australian Open I wasn’t sure what I was going to play next, but this was always probably going to be one of the tournaments I’m going to play regardless. I love it here.
‘I’ve had so many good memories here. It’s one of the best tournaments we have.’
Kyrgios had sustained an abdomen strain ahead of the Australian Open which had cast some doubts over whether he would be fit to play at the tournament.
But after playing in Melbourne, Kyrgios revealed that he had been feeling ‘sharp pains’ in his wrist again just two days after the tournament.
Kyrgios had admitted he was uncertain whether he would be able to play against Van de Zandschulp
Kyrgios stated he had experienced some ‘sharp pain’ in his wrist following the Australian Open
‘After the Australian Open, all I did was rehab, train, and then try and get ready for this tournament.
‘I was two days out of the tournament here and I was having a great training session, and literally the second-to-last point in my training session I hit a forehand, I felt a sharp pain, and I had to stop playing.
‘I mean, it’s not ideal, but I guess, I don’t know, we go back to the drawing board as a team, and we just try and figure out and navigate a way to just get through these matches.
‘Like, I would have loved to be able to finish that match even if I lose just as a building block, to say: “Okay, I went out there and was competing with a very good player, and I had chances and set points and breakpoints”. So it’s like these building blocks, but now if I’m not finishing matches that becomes a concern.’
