3 key takeaways from Nick Kyrgios' first win in 2+ years at Miami Open comeback

Nick Kyrgios returned at the Miami Open with a win over Mackenzie McDonald, and for quite a lot of people, it was a surprise, so let’s break down what happened and what the main takeaways are from this ‘surprising’ Kyrgios win.

Before playing that match at the Miami Open, Kyrgios had played two matches so far this year. Neither of those matches was particularly good. The first one at the Australian Open was a pretty lackluster showing against a rising player, but certainly not a player that should be beating Kyrgios in straight sets at a Grand Slam event.

The second one was a match at Indian Wells recently, which he didn’t even finish, citing issues with his wrist. And that’s one of the first takeaways from this match.

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1. The wrist seems fine

Nick Kyrgios at Miami Open Presented by Itau 2025 - Day 2 - Source: Getty

The wrist is fine might end up sounding fine, but it’s a bit more complicated than that. Yes, the wrist might be fine, but when you’re playing tennis, fine is not the margin you’re looking for. You’re looking for amazing, excellent, and the like. This match and the win over Mackenzie McDonald showed that his wrist is fine. It can handle a match, sort of. Nick Kyrgios didn’t play spectacular tennis, he slammed far too many balls wide, so fine might not actually be ‘fine.’

It’s good enough to win matches here and there, but the type of matches Kyrgios truly wants to win are title matches, and he will need more than fine in those ones. Still, it was a win, a much-needed win for Kyrgios, and he’ll take it.

The true test for all things—his career and the wrist—will come up in the coming months. How many fines can he stack? Can he win a trophy? What happens when he faces somebody like Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz or even Jannik Sinner? Those are more important questions for Kyrgios to answer.

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2. The level is still there

One thing that has to be noted about this match is that while his level overall wasn’t spectacular because Mackenzie McDonald was helping him with some really flawed play, the Australian at times still showed a level that sort of resembles the best that he can be, and that’s a very good sign. For much of Nick Kyrgios’s career, there were a lot of questions about his tennis.

The talent was never in question, but the product, the output on the court, was suspicious at times. He seemed not focused, not entirely into it, and the results suffered. That hasn’t been the problem in more recent times because that side of his career has been really good whenever he played.

The physical side has been the bigger issue, in particular the wrist in recent times. It prevented him from playing the way he wants to play, but if that gets cleared up, fans should be relieved that the level of Kyrgios is still there.

As long as he’s fully healthy, Nick Kyrgios shouldn’t have a massive problem finding anything close to his best tennis, and when he’s playing close to his best tennis, he’s a perennial Top 10 player capable of not only winning trophies but also challenging for Grand Slams.

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3. Injuries will make or break Nick Kyrgios's career

Nick Kyrgios is on record admitting that he’s not going to play well into his thirties, which means that he’s closer to retirement right now than any sort of peak years in tennis. With that in mind, we have to note that how his career shapes out and how long it lasts will mostly come down to injuries.

He’s been dealing with increasingly more and more injuries, and this wrist one had the potential to end his career. At times, it looked like he would call it quits, but eventually, he did continue, and the jury’s still out on what will happen with that.

Whatever happens with the wrist doesn’t change the fact that injuries like this one will make or break his remaining time in tennis. The level is not in question. This match and all the other matches he will play in the coming weeks are proof of that.

Nick Kyrgios is good enough to compete with some of the best, but it’s his health that will largely impact how long he opts to remain in tennis. This match was only his third match this year. He basically didn’t play at all last year with only one match.

The year before was also only one match, so it’s pretty clear that there are severe issues there. If he manages to fight them off, he will have a career for a little longer. If not, then the Wimbledon run is likely the best we’ve ever seen Kyrgios play, and that’s something that fans will hold onto.

For now, either of those options is realistic as time will tell which one ends up happening.