Kei Nishikori: Inspired by Big Four and desire to face Carlos Alcaraz, former US Open runner-up set for ATP Tour return

It’s been a long road back for Kei Nishikori.

A former US Open runner-up, who has made 12 Grand Slam quarter-finals over his career, spent 212 weeks in the top 10 of the ATP rankings, and won 12 singles titles, Nishikori will play his first ATP Tour event in 21 months this week.

The 33-year-old last played at the top level at Indian Wells in October 2021.

He had hip surgery the following January and then saw several comeback attempts aborted by injury issues, including an ankle problem that ended his chances of playing in 2022. As he plummeted down the rankings - eventually falling off them entirely towards the end of last year - he said he became “really depressed” and “thought about retiring”.

But even as his return got pushed back further he wasn't deterred to the point of packing it all in, and when he did return to competitive action in June it was worth the wait as he dropped just one set on his way to winning in Palmas del Mar on the second-tier ATP Challenger Tour.

So what kept him going?

Seeing legends like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray playing deep into their 30’s, plus the excitement of facing off for the first time against the new generation like Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune.

“It was tough to maintain the motivation, but I just wanted to play tennis again and compete again,” he said in July.

“And especially watching [Novak] Djokovic, Rafa [Nadal] still playing, fighting. And I haven’t played against Alcaraz, Rune. That's something I also can't wait to play against them.”

Nishikori’s comeback has so far taken in three events, all at Challenger level.

After lifting the title in Palmas del Mar he was beaten in the second round in Bloomfield Hills by world No. 161 Denis Kudla and then lost in the Chicago quarter-finals to world No. 160 Alex Michelsen.

This week he makes his top-tier return at the ATP 250 Atlanta Open, facing world No. 63 Jordan Thompson in the first round.

While Nishikori, now ranked at No. 439 in the world, was surprised by his level on his comeback in Palmas del Mar – “I couldn’t believe I played as well as I played today…I felt like I could compete on the tour again,” he said after lifting the title – the next few weeks will be another step up. After Atlanta he is set to play at the ATP 500 Citi Open in Washington DC as he builds up to a return at the US Open, where he lost in the final in 2014 to Marin Cilic. If he plays in New York it will be his first Grand Slam appearance in two years.

“I just need to play more matches,” Nishikori said this month.

“I think I just need to play with those top-50 players again. I just need to get used to playing with those guys and get confidence again. Overall I'm really happy with how I'm playing. I just need to focus and recover well.”

At his peak Nishikori reached world No. 4 in 2015. While he lacked any huge weapons, he was an excellent all-round player, rapid around the court and known for his trademark down-the-line winners. But even before this lengthy spell out Nishikori was no stranger to injury issues. That he has not won a Grand Slam title or a Masters event is in part due to difficulties with staying 100 per cent healthy throughout a season – or sometimes throughout a tournament.

“Unfortunately, repeated injuries have put a brake on his success,” Nadal said about Nishikori in 2021. “Without injury, he’s definitely one of the top five players in the world.”

Nishikori has said that he thinks he can play for “five or six more years at best” and that he is motivated to continue. How this summer plays into his plans for the future will be intriguing to see.