Kei Nishikori scored his biggest win in three years at the 2024 Canadian Open, and he admitted after the match that he's hoping for more success in the future.
For the past three years, Nishikori has been fighting not just to return to the tennis courts but also for his career. A tremendously talented tennis player whose most significant achievement is a US Open final many years ago, Nishikori has been dealing with a multitude of injuries.
From hip surgery to several setbacks during his attempted comebacks, the Japanese player never lost hope or belief that he could be back. It's paying off this week at the Canadian Open because he's playing some of the best tennis he's played in the past three years.
There is not much competition when it comes to his result, because he didn't play that much. He didn't play at all in 2022, managed only 13 matches in 2023, and he's up to 7 so far this year.
However, his performances in Montreal, have been by far the best he's had. A win over Alex Michelsen gave him a chance to face Stefanos Tsitsipas, and he amazed everybody by beating him in two sets as well.
It was the first time he beat a Top 20 ranked player in three years and the first time that he won two matches at an ATP Masters 1000 tournament in the past three years.
Nishikori heavily celebrated the hugely emotional win, as he worked hard through all the pain and misery to experience moments like these. After the match, Nishikori admitted that he was not 100% yet, but he expects to be there. He also admitted that he hopes there will be a big success in the future for him.
"Yeah, I think I'm still on the way to coming back 100%. I still not expecting playing great tennis every match. You know, I think there is going to be many up and downs still."
"Today I did really well, but hopefully I can stay playing like today. It's been a long time. I don't feel like it's been three years playing Masters again, but hope I can come back to this stage again next year."
Nobody, including Nishikori, knows what the future holds for him because it largely depends on how his body handles playing regularly. The talent never was and still isn't a question mark, but it's mostly his body.
"Yeah. I mean, because I haven't played many matches, my body is sorer than usual because I'm not used to playing a lot of matches now. I'm still okay to play a couple more matches, I guess, so that's a good thing. Yeah, I'm sure if I can keep playing many more matches, my body will adapt, and hopefully I can stay healthy."
If he can stay upright and consistently play well, there is no reason to think he can't become a player close to the Top 20.