Back to the drawing board for Kyrgios after wrist injury at Indian Wells

INDIAN WELLS, California : A bitterly disappointed Nick Kyrgios said he was getting worried that injuries were stopping him from finishing matches after the former Wimbledon finalist retired from his first-round contest at Indian Wells on Thursday due to pain in his right wrist.

The Australian showed flashes of brilliance as he battled back from 4-1 down in the first set against Botic van de Zandschulp before losing a tight tiebreaker, where he had a set point, in front of a supportive crowd.

However, Kyrgios tearfully threw in the towel in the second set due to sharp pain in his surgically repaired wrist while trailing 7-6(7) 3-0.

"We go back to the drawing board as a team and we try and figure out a way to get through these matches," Kyrgios told reporters.

"I would have loved to be able to finish that match, even if I lose just as a building block to say, okay, I went out there and was competing with a very good player, and I had chances and set points and breakpoints.

"But now if I'm not finishing matches that becomes a concern."

Kyrgios hinted that he might not play singles at the Australian Open again after his first-round loss there in January and said there was no roadmap back from the injury that has plagued him for nearly two years.

"No one in the sport has had a wrist reconstruction and tried to play after that," he said.

"There's been players that have had wrist surgeries and nowhere near as bad as what I had.

"It would be nice if someone had this injury prior if I could just go there and ask them, okay, these are setbacks you were having.

"It's all an experiment at this point. I was told I was arguably maybe not ever playing tennis again. I feel I'm like right there, I feel like I can compete."

Kyrgios, who