MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — In a thrilling comeback, Nick Kyrgios marked his first victory in nearly two and a half years at the Miami Open on Wednesday, triumphing over Mackie McDonald with a scoreline of 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Despite sporting a sizable bandage of beige tape on his surgically repaired right wrist—an area he described as numb after taking five painkillers—Kyrgios displayed remarkable resilience.
“To be honest, I was on the verge of tears out there. Reflecting on the past two years, it’s been quite tough,” shared Kyrgios, who was the runner-up to Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon in 2022. “I had my wrist in a cast for 12 weeks, unable to move it at all. Doctors doubted whether I’d ever return to this level. There’s been a lot of external chatter about my ability to compete and win at this standard. While playing is one thing, executing well and clinching wins is another challenge altogether.”
As he approaches his 30th birthday next month, it’s worth noting that Kyrgios hadn’t secured a victory in an official match since October 2022, when he beat Kamil Majchrzak in Tokyo before pulling out of his next match against Taylor Fritz.
Afterward, Kyrgios underwent surgeries for a torn ligament in his wrist and knee issues, keeping him off the court for nearly all of 2023—where he played a mere single match in singles—and sidelining him for the entirety of the 2024 season.
Kyrgios, who is one of the named plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit filed this week against tennis governing bodies, started the year with an unfortunate 0-3 record before turning it around on Wednesday.
The hiatus from competition saw his ATP ranking plummet from a career-best No. 13 to a staggering No. 892. Thankfully, he could enter the Miami Open draw thanks to a protected ranking. He had previously made it to the semifinals of this hard-court event in both 2016 and 2017.
“I’ve had a decent winning record in the past, so this feels somewhat familiar, yet it’s still surreal to think I came from not being able to hit a tennis ball well at all to defeating a skilled opponent,” Kyrgios remarked, having served up an impressive 13 aces during the match. “It’s hard to grasp.”
Mackie McDonald, a Californian who notably defeated Rafael Nadal at the 2023 Australian Open, is currently ranked 101st and earned his spot in the Miami Open through the qualifying rounds.
Looking ahead, Kyrgios is set to face No. 22 seed Karen Khachanov, a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist.
The two have clashed three times previously, including epic five-setters at the 2020 Australian Open—where Kyrgios emerged victorious—and at the 2022 U.S. Open, which Khachanov won.
“We’ve basically grown up together in the juniors. He’s an incredible workhorse and so professional. Honestly, he’s everything I’m not,” Kyrgios grinned. “If I can make it to the start line, I’ll give it my all. But I can’t promise that it’ll be as intense as it once was between us.”
