Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios withdrew from his first-round match against Botic van de Zandschulp due to injury on Thursday night. The 29-year-old was trailing 7-6, 3-0 when he retired.
Instead of facing the top-ranked player Novak Djokovic, Kyrgios’ opponent will now face Djokovic in the second round. Van de Zandschulp, a lucky loser after losing to Matteo Gigante in the qualifiers on Tuesday, is confident he can upset Djokovic, who has won five BNP Paribas Open titles.
Kyrgios had previously undergone wrist surgery in September 2023 and was making his sixth appearance at Indian Wells. Despite feeling unconfident about playing, he initially performed well before experiencing sharp pain in his wrist. Van de Zandschulp is a former quarterfinalist in Indian Wells and has beaten Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz in the Davis Cup Finals and U.S. Open.
“I wasn’t too confident that I was going to be able to play today,” Kyrgios said. “I’m hoping next time’s going to be better.”
Source: https://eu.desertsun.com/story/sports/tennis/bnp/2025/03/06/nick-kyrgios-wont-face-nvak-djokovic-aretires-match-botic-van-de-zandschulp-will-face-novak-djokovic/81850438007