Nick Kyrgios admitted that he was very close to crying after recording his first win since 2022 at the 2025 Miami Open.
In 2022, Kyrgios had probably the best season of his tennis career. However, the Australian’s last singles tournament ended in a withdrawal, and since then, he missed plenty of action.
Kyrgios made a brief comeback attempt at the 2023 Stuttgart Open but then again disappeared for the 2024 season. In 2025, he finally returned to the tennis courts again.
The 2022 Wimbledon finalist started by losing his matches in Brisbane and at the Australian Open before retiring from his first-round match at the Indian Wells Open.
During that match, he cried on the tennis court, and he was very close to crying also at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami, but this time, for a different reason.
At the start of his first-round match against qualifier Mackenzie McDonald in Miami, it seemed that Kyrgios would struggle to complete the match again. He lost 12 of the first 13 points, and things looked very bleak for him.
However, the Australian player was able to ultimately win the match, beating McDonald 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. It was a very important win for him, especially since it was his first win since 2022.
Speaking after the match, Kyrgios admitted that he was very close to crying on the tennis court. In recent months, the Australian player has been much more emotional, likely realizing that his tennis career is coming to an end and that it might not end the way he would like to.
“I’m not gonna lie, I was pretty close to crying on court. I just think about the last two years, and it’s been pretty brutal to be honest. I was in a cast for 12 weeks, couldn’t move my wrist, and the surgeons were saying I’d never play again.”
Kyrgios doubted whether he would ever be able to return to competitive tennis again. He knew that he might be able to play, but there is a huge difference between just playing and competing for wins. He doesn’t want to just play.
“And I was listening to a lot of the outside noise, you know, about whether I’d be able to play at this level, and win. Playing is one thing, but winning matches and executing is another thing. So yeah, I can’t believe it.”
The feeling he had after the match was weird for Kyrgios. On the one hand, he felt incredibly happy; on the other hand, he knew it was just a first-round win. He wasn’t used to feeling like that after winning one match, but this one was significant for him.
“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet because I used to actually win a fair bit! So, at the same time, it feels normal. I don’t think it’s really sunk in that I was in a place where I couldn’t hit a fluffy tennis ball to now beating a solid player. It’s pretty surreal, but I know the tournament is not over and I haven’t won the tournament or anything.”
In the second round, the Australian player will take on Karen Khachanov. He will have a chance to get revenge against the Russian player after Khachanov beat him in the quarter-finals of the 2022 US Open.
