Kei Nishikori celebrates his 28th birthday at the end of December. It is the best tennis age. But a severe defeat in the semi-final of the ATP 500 tournament in Washington, D. C. against Alexander Zverev made the Japanese look and feel quite old.
“When I (Sasha, note) watch Zverev like this, I feel very old,”said Nishikori in the Japan Times,”It’s not often that I see such a young player playing such good tennis. I know I’m not the youngest anymore, and that naturally creates a certain amount of pressure, but that’s the reality.”
Nishikori was already in the final of the US Open in 2014, but had to admit defeat to the Croatian Marin Cilic in three sets. Last March, the man from Matsue was number four in the world, but a dislocated tendon in his wrist at the beginning of September meant the end of the season.
If I hadn’t travelled to Europe for rehab, I would have never met the physio who showed me a new method of endurance training,”said Nishikori,” It feels as if it could change my whole body,”he said.
Meanwhile, Nishikori is in 22nd place in the ranking and is aiming for a comeback in January or February,”I’m looking forward to the challenge”, says Nishikori, looking forward to his return “Federer, Nadal and all the young players have advanced tremendously. But I hope I make it back to the top five. I know I’ve got it in me.”