“I never lose that motivation” – Nishikori positive about return despite loss
Kei Nishikori shares the goal for his comeback, after the former world No 4 played his first match in eight months on Thursday
Zuma/Panoramic
Kei Nishikori returned to the ATP Tour for the first time in eight months this week, after struggling with injury problems for much of the last five years.
While the former world No 4 fell to a 6-3, 6-4 loss against Austria’s Sebastian Ofner in the first round of the Miami Open, Nishikori says he’s feeling hopeful about his return to tennis.
“Today, I mean, I was almost enjoying the match,” Nishikori said after his loss to the world No 37 in Miami. “[It] wasn’t good enough to beat those top, you know, 50 players. But I think I’m happy enough [with] how I played today.”
The 34-year-old, who became the highest-ranked Japanese player in history when he cracked the world’s top five in 2015, said he has no goal for his comeback yet other than getting matches under his belt.
“I don’t have a clear goal right now. You know, I just want to play a lot of matches,” explained Nishikori. “I mean, hopefully I can stay healthy. I think that’s the only goal this year, I try to play as many matches as I can play. I hope I can play the clay court season. I’m hoping to play Houston, but we’ll see.”
While Nishikori is candid about his level, admitting that he felt nervous and wasn’t as match-ready as he’d hoped to be in his first match of the season, the Japanese player isn’t lacking in motivation still.
“It’s actually, it’s funny to me, but I never lose that motivation. It’s always there. Some reason I cannot explain, but some reason motivation is always there,” he explained in a press conference on Thursday. “I still have, you know, good desire. Yeah, I’m looking forward to play couple more tournaments.”
“I’m looking forward to getting my tennis back. Maybe it’s not going to be soon, but I will keep fighting.”
