Nick Kyrgios opens up about his injury frustrations after Indian Wells tears

Nick Kyrgios broke down in tears before retiring during his first-round match at Indian Wells in another blow to his comeback from a wrist injury.

The 29-year-old returned to the tour at the beginning of the season after 18 months on the sidelines following surgery but is still struggling with pain in the joint.

He was forced to cut short a practice in California earlier this week and sat wiping away tears before calling it a day trailing Botic van de Zandschulp 7-6 (7) 3-0.

Kyrgios admitted at the Australian Open that his singles career was very much in doubt and, speaking to reporters in Indian Wells, he said: “This process has been probably one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced in my life.

“It’s just the amount of work I put in and I’m still having so much discomfort in my wrist. That’s, I guess, why I got a bit emotional towards the end because it’s one of my favourite tournaments.

“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. If I’m not finishing matches, that becomes a concern.”

Kyrgios enjoyed the best season of his career in 2022, reaching the Wimbledon final, but first a knee injury and then the wrist problem stopped him in his tracks.

“It sucks, because, as much as I have had a love/hate relationship with this sport, and it makes me f***ing angry, I want to play,” he said.

“I had glimpses of it tonight with the crowd going absolutely ballistic, and I’m playing amazing and I’m enjoying being out there. The pain, it’s just, it’s not great.”

Emma Raducanu also had a disappointing day, losing 6-3 6-2 to Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima in an error-prone display in windy conditions.

The former US Open champion was playing for the first time since dealing with a stalker at the Dubai Open last month.

She has started a trial with Slovakian coach Vladimir Platenik but admitted she has a lot to work on as she suffered a fifth defeat in her last six matches at a venue where she has previously played some of her best tennis.

“I think it was tough conditions, difficult ball from my opponent. I tried to be aggressive, I tried to make the ball, but I guess it didn’t work today.

“I had great support around me. I was feeling pretty good. I think today was just a bit of a curveball, but I guess I am just going to move on.

“I think I could improve every area of my game, to be honest, after today’s performance.”

Raducanu made a late decision to come to Indian Wells after the emotional difficulties of the last couple of weeks but insisted she was fully focused on the match.

“I didn’t have what happened in Dubai in my head at all today,” she said. “If anything, (it was) a bit of a lack of preparation on the tennis court.”

On Platenik, one of the most experienced coaches on the WTA Tour, Raducanu said: “It is good that I have someone who is very experienced here, and we will see how the work goes and how we get on as well on and off the court and the methods and everything.

“I am looking forward to seeing how it goes. I think I just need to keep trying to put one foot in front of the other and not look back too much.”

British number three Sonay Kartal took advantage of her lucky loser spot to book her place in the second round with a 7-6 (6) 6-2 win over American qualifier Varvara Lepchenko and will next play 16th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia.

But fellow debutant Jacob Fearnley missed out on a clash with former junior rival Jack Draper, slipping to defeat against exciting Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca.

The 18-year-old is the hottest young talent in the men’s game and he reeled off the final five games to win 6-2 1-6 6-3.

Fearnley has now lost to Fonseca twice this year, and he said: “He hit a couple of forehands that were massive. So he has the ability to up his pace of shot. But I think what’s impressive is how strong he is mentally, and at such a young age.”