Kei Nishikori was forced to withdraw from the 2024 Eastbourne International, putting his Wimbledon Championships participation in doubt.
It's been quite some time since the Japanese player competed regularly. The last time he played all four majors in a season was in 2021, but back then, he failed to make it past the fourth round at any of them.
However, the last time prior to that, in 2019, he made the quarter-finals in three out of for Grand Slams, and between 2014 and 2019, Nishikori made a Grand Slam quarter-final at least once every year.
He's been one of the most consistent performance, but his consistency disappeared with his health, as since those three quarter-final runs in 2019, Nisikori has never seemingly fully recovered to compete on the ATP Tour regularly.
The 34-year-old is still trying, and he proved his qualities last year when he burst onto the ATP Challenger scene, winning a title in Palmas Del Mar. Still, he injured himself only a few weeks later, and this season hasn't been any better.
Nishikori appeared in the draw for the 2024 Eastbourne International. In the first round of the tournament, he was supposed to play against the sixth-seeded Mariano Navone from Argentina, who specializes on clay courts.
However, a few hours before his match, the Japanese player withdrew from the ATP 250 tournament, without providing any statement, leaving his fans in dark when it comes to the 2024 Wimbledon Championships.
The Eastbourne International was the last preparation tournament prior to the grass-court major, which runs from July 1st to 14th. At the moment, Nishikori still appears on the Wimbledon entry list, but with this latest withdrawal, his participation is certainly in doubt.
Still, fans would certainly love to see the man, who is one of the cleanest hitters on the Tour, back in action at SW19.