Nick Kyrgios sees parallels in him & $90M-worth 9x NBA All-star after both suffer devastating injury blows days apart
Nick Kyrgios shared an inspiring message from the Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving after they both suffered major injury blows days apart. The Aussie has to retire from his first-round clash against Botic van de Zandschulp due to a wrist injury at Indian Wells.
He gave a tough fight to his Dutch opponent and made a stellar comeback after being 1-4 down in the first set of the match. He eventually lost the set after putting up a neck-to-neck contest in the ten-point tie-break, despite struggling physically. The Aussie was also seen in pain during his practice session ahead of the match on 5th March 2025 and had to cut his training time short.
Nine-time NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving, who is worth $90 million (as per Celebrity Net Worth), also faced a season-ending ACL injury during the Mavericks' game against the Kings last week. Kyrgios took to his Instagram stories to share the message that Kyrie Irving sent out.
"Don't let anybody ever tell you to give up and don't you dare give up on yourself" - Kyrie Irving
Kyrgios also expressed his thoughts on his heartbreak after the match as he claimed that it was devastating to exit from the tournament in such a manner.
"I'm okay to lose a match. I've lost matches in my career many times. I guess it's just the amount of work I put in and I'm still having so much discomfort in my wrist," said Kyrgios.
Even though Nick Kyrgios has not publicly admitted to retiring, he had previously indicated towards the same earlier this year.
Nick Kyrgios hinted at his retirement during the 2025 Australian Open
Nick Kyrgios has been suffering from multiple injuries since 2023, which has kept him away from the game for a while. However, the star player had made a comeback to the game hoping for a promising 2025 season, earlier this year.
After suffering back-to-back blows at the Brisbane International and the 2025 Australian Open, his hopes dimmed. At the post-match press conference at the Melbourne Major, he spoke about not being able to play singles at this stage again- hinting towards a possible retirement.
"Yeah, I mean, realistically I can’t see myself playing a singles match here again, " said the Aussie. (1:37 onwards)
Following his disappointing exit from the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Nick Kyrgios is next scheduled to compete at the Miami Open.