Nick Kyrgios Makes Triumphant Return with Victory at Miami Open
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - MARCH 19: Nick Kyrgios of Australia returns a shot against Mackenzie McDonald of the United States during their match on Day 2 at Hard Rock Stadium on March 19, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)
Tennis star Nick Kyrgios marked his long-awaited return to competitive tennis with a hard-fought victory over American Mackenzie McDonald at the Miami Open on Wednesday. Overcoming a sluggish start, Kyrgios battled back to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a match that lasted one hour and 43 minutes.
The win is particularly significant for the 29-year-old, whose career has been severely hampered by injuries over the past two years. Kyrgios had to retire from his first-round match at Indian Wells earlier this month due to ongoing pain in his surgically repaired right wrist, an injury that sidelined him for 18 months.
Reflecting on his comeback, Kyrgios expressed both relief and gratitude. “It has been a long journey, even to just get to the start line of matches and be scared to just finish them,” he admitted. “To come off and get a win and feel like I belong again was special.”
A finalist at Wimbledon in 2022, Kyrgios has dealt with numerous setbacks throughout his career, but the wrist injury presented one of his toughest challenges yet. At times, he doubted whether he would ever play again.
“I never thought I would play tennis again, to be brutally honest with you,” Kyrgios revealed. “I was having conversations with my camp and my team, and I said, ‘I don’t know how long I can keep doing this for.’”
Despite the emotional and physical toll of his rehabilitation, Kyrgios remains cautiously optimistic about his future. “This win puts some petrol in the tank, but I need to be realistic and see how my wrist feels tomorrow because it is a grind out here.”
Meanwhile, the Miami Open also saw an impressive performance from 38-year-old Frenchman Gael Monfils, who became the second-oldest man to win a match at the tournament, following in the footsteps of tennis legend Jimmy Connors. Monfils defeated last year’s quarterfinalist, Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
Kyrgios’s victory marks an encouraging step forward in his return to the sport, and tennis fans around the world will be eager to see how he fares in the coming rounds.
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