Kei Nishikori is not ready to give up on his career as he was inspired by players like Federer playing till they are 40.
Injury forced Kei Nishikori to sit out the entire 2022 season, but he's determined to keep playing since he thinks it would be a shame to retire now. Nishikori believes in that because reaching such a high level and coming so close to winning a grand slam took a lot of hard work and throwing it away is not the way to go. He did think about it:
“I casually mentioned that I thought about retirement, but afterwards I realized it would go into headlines, I was like, oops, I blew it," said Nishikori. He added: “It was honest feeling, so I might not be able to hide it, or I might express it to wash away my gloomy feeling, I don’t know."
“I’ve made much effort and it’s a shame to bring it to naught due to injury. I’m not sure if this is the right way to say it, but I feel like I’m kinda talented and I have reached the position that not so many people can reach, that makes me feel like it’s too good to give up," continued the former world number four.
Being able to play deep into his thirties wasn't common in tennis before but over time players were able to push the boundaries further. Seeing Federer play until he was 40 inspired Nishikori:
“Federer played tennis until 40, so I think I can keep playing five more years at the least and seven more years at the most.”
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