Nick Kyrgios injures wrist in practice, leaving Indian Wells return in question

INDIAN WELLS, Calif.—Early last month, Nick Kyrgios’ name appeared in a press release from the BNP Paribas Open, signaling a possible singles return at the ATP’s first 1000-level tournament of the season.

“2022 Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios has also entered the field on a protected ranking,” it read.

But being part of a player field and actually playing are very different things. And Kyrgios has been known for last-minute withdrawals. In 2023, he pulled out of the Australian and US Opens on the eves of the respective tournaments due to injuries. Trying to predict Nick’s participation—and, for that matter, Nick himself—is a near impossible task.

Case in point: Kyrgios was scheduled to practice late Sunday afternoon at Indian Wells. His name was listed in two different hour-long blocks on Stadium 8. Both times, fans lined the intimate court to get an up-close look of the sport’s still-most-popular players.

Both times, he didn’t show.

But we’ve since come to catch some glimpses of Kyrgios in the Coachella Valley—first on the pickleball court, during the Desert Smash charity event (with Naomi Osaka):

And then on the tennis court, at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. On Monday, Kyrgios was drawn to face a qualifier—since turning out to be Botic van de Zandschulp—with Novak Djokovic, of all players, awaiting the winner.

Getting to that marquee match will be a tall task for Kyrgios, however. While he’s been visible and vocal on social media as it relates to the Jannik Sinner saga, he hasn’t played on tour since mid-January. His only two matches this season were a 7-6 (3), 6-3, 7-6 (2) first-round defeat to Jacob Fearnley at the Australian Open—a match the 29-year-old indicated may have been his last singles showing in Melbourne Park—and a three-tiebreak loss to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in Brisbane.

Then there’s van de Zandschulp, who’s developed a reputation as a giant killer. The Dutchman defeated Carlos Alcaraz at last year’s US Open, then took out Rafael Nadal in what would turn out to be the Spaniard’s last professional match.

But the biggest concern of all is Kyrgios’ wrist. On this video posted Tuesday, Kyrgios stops his practice session with Sho Shimabukoro to hold his right wrist.

The surgically repaired wrist acted up in Brisbane, where Kyrgios played doubles with Djokovic.

A Reddit on the subject was dubious of Kyrgios’ immediate future, but his first-rounder isn’t scheduled until Thursday, so there’s still time to recover. But based on previous history, a lucky loser may want to be on standby, as fans hope to catch Nick while they can.