BREAKING: Kei Nishikori withdrawn in Washington

• Tennis News
• ATP Tennis

The Japanese tennis player Kei Nishikori should have played his 1/32 round match against the South African Lloyd Harris at the ATP 500 in Washington, today. However, a few minutes before his first round match, the former finalist of the 2014 US Open communicated his withdrawal from the tournament due to a physical problem.

At this point, the Japanese may have decided to retire preventively for the tournaments in Toronto, Cincinnati and New York, but his presence in the two ATP Masters 1000 and the last Grand Slam of the season seems highly doubtful.

Nishikori in Atlanta

After a few passages in the Challengers, Nishikori returned to the ATP Tour, immediately getting his first victory: a success in the first round in the Atlanta tournament, beating Jordan Thompson with a double 7-6.

A return that is not easy, as he himself explains in an interview with the ATP. He told: "After eight or nine months of rehab after hip surgery I was almost ready to go back when I sprained my ankle. It turned out to be complicated and much worse than what I first saw.

made it go back another four or five months. Once or twice I almost thought about retiring. It was mentally shocking to be so close and then have a second injury. I wasn't sure if I could come back from that. So that was the hardest moment.

My hip wasn't that bad, not like Andy. If I continued to play without the surgery, maybe I should have done something like Andy. But luckily, I found out before it got really bad." Staying out of the circuit for almost two years, Nishikori has not yet had the chance to meet the Next Gen.

The goal of his return, however, is also this: "One thing I hope is to have the chance to play against these great young players like Alcaraz, Rune and Sinner at some point. This is part of my motivation to try and play for a few more years.

I don't think we've ever seen anyone like Alcaraz before. He looks like Rafa but he has more speed. Good defense, amazing forehand and he has a good backhand too”.