Kei Nishikori recently returned to tennis at the 2024 Miami Open, and after the match, he spoke about his motivation.
Nishikori hasn't played competitively in about eight months, as his last match in 2023 happened in July at the Atlanta Open. The Japanese player attempted a few comebacks in recent years, but none really worked out because he always had to end it because of another injury.
That happened last year as well, so he had to wait patiently until he could come back again. It happened at the Miami Open, and he played fairly decently. He wasn't able to beat Sebastian Ofner, but he certainly looked like he belonged, which is good considering how long he's been away from the court recently.
After the match, Nishikori admitted he never lost motivation to come back, even after the multiple injuries he had to endure.
"I never lose that motivation. It's always there. Some reason I cannot explain, but some reason motivation is always there. I don't have the clear goal right now. You know, I just want to play a lot of matches."
Hopefully, this time around, Nishikori gets the chance to play a lot of matches because it didn't quite work out last year. The match was also enjoyable for Nishikori, who admitted that he doesn't have the level to beat the top guys right now but hopes to get there with more matches.
"Today, I mean, I was almost enjoying the match, but it wasn't good enough to beat those top, you know, 50 players. But I think I'm happy enough, you know, how I played today. Maybe not the best, but I still have, you know, good desire. Yeah, I'm looking forward to play couple more tournaments."
It will be interesting to follow Nishikori's progress in the future months, especially his approach to the events he chooses, as he has multiple options.
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