Kei Nishikori should return to tennis in 2023 after being absent for a long time due to various injuries, including his hip.
Without a doubt, the Japanese player is one of the most talented players from Asia that ever touched the tennis court, but his career has been significantly influenced by injuries.
In 2022, Nishikori hasn't played a single match on the ATP Tour, before also being not really active in 2020 and 2021, as his struggles have been evident for quite some time.
He had hip surgery last year in the hopes of being able to play again, and he has since described the grueling steps he had to take to make that happen. In a recent interview with Nikkan sports, Nishikori discussed it and claimed that his bones needed to be reduced.
"My bones have been deformed in hip and elbow, I needed surgery to trim the bones otherwise I feel pain, so (what happened) was inevitable."
According to the Japanese player, the surgery was inevitable, and it was also something that may have been important for his life, not just his professional tennis career.
There are many what ifs in Nishikori's career, but for him, it's something that he can not think about, as it would send his mind spinning, and that's why the Japanese player called it "an unanswered player."
"I never think about what I should have done (with these injuries), I know it's an unanswered question."
For now, the hope is that Nishikori will be able to return at least close to his best in 2023, after missing the fully year of play. Between 2014 and 2018, he was able to finish inside the Top 10 almost every year, except for 2017, and even though that may not be realistic anymore, he can still win some titles.
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