Kei Nishikori has played only four matches so far in 2024, and he's now pulled out of the 2024 Bastad Open, leaving his Olympic participation in doubt.
The Japanese player returned to tennis this year, and while he looked great when played, he encountered the same problem he's been dealing with for years. His body can't remain fully healthy when he plays tennis, and it's a huge problem.
He's worked really hard to return to the tennis courts, but the moment he steps onto the court, something bad tends to happen. His first match back on the ATP Tour was played at the Miami Open in February.
He then missed two months of action and returned to Roland Garros. He won a match there but retired in the second match he played. Then he spent time away from the courts, only to return to Wimbledon and lose again, this time in a five-setter to Arthur Rinderknech.
Any time he plays, he has to take a few weeks off to presumably heal fully because it just doesn't work any other way. 2021 was the last time he was able to play many matches, and it's actually the year he played at the Tokyo Olympics.
Those games should have been played in 2020, but because of the pandemic, they were moved to 2021. They were held in Japan, so obviously, they were very important to Nishikori.
This year's Olympics are also hugely important to him because he hopes to play at them and say goodbye to the competition, which is every player's dream. Unfortunately, we don't know if he'll play because he just withdrew from the Bastad Open, which many players will use as a preparation for the Games.
Nishikori will likely try his best to be ready for the Olympics, but his career is nearing an end. He clearly can't compete a lot anymore, but hopefully, he can have a proper send off on the tennis court.
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