Kei Nishikori

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

Mirnyi Excited To Lead Team Japan, Happy With Nishikori's Preparations

Spoiler:

Nishioka is ready to face Rublev on Wednesday

Max Mirnyi has been working hard with Kei Nishikori ahead of the 12-team ATP Cup, which has pitted Japan in Group D alongside Russia and Argentina.

”We did the maximum we could do being in a room environment,” said Mirnyi, on coming out of the 14-day quarantine in Melbourne. “There was a lot of physical activity going on. My room was next to Kei's room. I could see there was a lot of medicine ball activity, weights, running and jumping.

“We're all going to be just happy and glad that the tournaments are here for us to play. Hopefully, by the time the tournament starts, everybody is going to be ready in the best possible way for the event.”

Nishikori said, "I am new to play this tournament, so I'm a little bit nervous. I don't know how it's going to be. I will just try to play my best tennis. I feel okay after being two weeks in a room."

Mirnyi, who joined Nishikori’s coaching team in December 2019 after a 22-year-old professional career, will act as Japan’s captain this week. He will also working alongside Toshihide Matsui, Yoshihito Nishioka and Ben McLachlan.

Watch Live

Japan plays its first Group D tie against Russia on Wednesday and Nishioka, who went 2-1 in last year’s tournament that included a strong performance against Rafael Nadal, is looking forward to meeting Andrey Rublev.

“He had a great year last year,” said Nishioka. “I know it's going to be very tough for me. Last year I had a great time in this tournament, so hopefully this year our team, with Kei coming back and also a new captain, we [have] got more power. I'm ready for play against Rublev. He's going to be very aggressive, so I need to be ready for that and just figure out how to beat him. That’s going to be very important.”

Mirnyi added, “It's a very exciting event. I had great fun viewing it on the television last year. It's great to be part of it this year. We're excited to be here with this line-up.”

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/atp-cup ... yi-preview

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

Kyrgios: 'I'm Hurting Thinking About Playing Thiem'

Spoiler:

Australian star wins one of the most memorable matches of his career

Nick Kyrgios went through a variety of emotions in saving two match points against Ugo Humbert on Wednesday night at the Australian Open. So much so, that the Australian doesn’t want to even think about his next opponent, third seed Dominic Thiem.

“Now I feel old,” said Kyrgios. “I just want to have a glass of red wine after my match… I’m hurting thinking about playing Thiem right now.”

Kyrgios has beaten the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the past, but he admits that his 5-7, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 second-round win over Humbert on John Cain Arena may be one of the most memorable victories of his career.

“I don’t think I’ve saved match points at the Australian Open before, I’ve had match points and lost,” said Kyrgios. “It was a crazy one. I’ve been a part of many matches and this one is a match that I’m still kind of in awe about.

“The stadium didn’t feel half full, it was insane. I was just speaking to my physio, who has seen me play matches, epic five sets that had everything, and that match had everything. It is definitely one of my most memorable matches.”

You May Also Like: Kyrgios Saves 2 M.P., Now Plays Thiem
Kyrgios, who is making just his second tournament appearance since returning from a 12-month absence from the ATP Tour, said it was his experience at Melbourne Park that helped him reach the Australian Open third round.

“I felt like I didn’t have anything against him in the fourth and fifth sets,” said Kyrgios. “I thought he was playing better from the ground and maybe I was serving a little bit better than him. All I had today was experience. I’ve been in so many big matches, on that court in particular. I felt like I was an old, savvy veteran who had too much experience.

“I don’t think he’s been involved in too many five-set matches, in Australia, with that kind of crowd. I tried to make him play and somehow got out of jail.”

The 25-year-old went on to praise Humbert, predicting a bright future for the Frenchman.

“He is one heck of a player and I don’t think he is getting enough credit for the year he had last year. He is only going to get better. He is a really good player. He is a lefty, he has a really good serve, he can hit all the flat serves, wide on the Deuce [court], T on the Ad [court], unbelievable backhand, good forehand, volleys and he’s a good competitor.

"I think he is one to watch out for, he’s going to be very good. It was insane, he was one point away from winning and I hope he doesn’t take it too hard on himself. He just needs to keep his head up and he’ll do special things.

“In one moment in the fourth set, I thought to myself, ‘Dude, this could be one of the most memorable matches of your career. You owe it to yourself.’ I put myself in a position to have moments like this and I keep surprising myself. I felt fresh in the fifth set, which is pretty crazy when I haven’t played for 12 months."

Kyrgios meets last year’s US Open champion Thiem on Friday.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/kyrgios ... -wednesday

[Damian]

[Lucas]

[Damian]

Nishikori Snaps Streak, Beats Felix In Rotterdam

Spoiler:

Murray faces Haase during night session

Kei Nishikori broke a four-match losing streak on Monday with a 7-6(4), 6-1 victory over seventh seed and last year's finalist Felix Auger-Aliassime at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament.

Nishikori won the final three points of the tie-break, which ended with Auger-Aliassime slicing a backhand wide to finish the 67-minute opener. The 19-year-old Auger-Aliassime received on-court treatment after the first game of the second set, which saw Nishikori win 25 of 34 points.

Nishikori, who is currently No. 45 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, reached the 2019 semi-finals at the Rotterdam Ahoy. He is now 3-7 since returning from injury and illness in September last year.

The 31-year-old Japanese star will next challenge an Australian: Alex de Minaur or John Millman in the second round.

How To Watch

Earlier in the day, qualifier Cameron Norrie won the first seven games of his 6-0, 6-3 victory over Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili, who led 3-1 in the second set. The Briton will next play Swiss eighth seed and 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka or Karen Khachanov of Russia.

Former World No. 1 and 2009 titlist Andy Murray plays Dutch wild card Robin Haase in the first match of the night session, prior to Hungarian qualifier Marton Fucsovics meeting Reilly Opelka of the United States.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/nishiko ... 021-monday

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

Why Nishikori Changed His Service Motion

Spoiler:

Former World No. 4 is into the Rotterdam quarter-finals
Kei Nishikori has climbed as high as No. 4 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, competed in the Nitto ATP Finals four times and lifted 12 ATP Tour titles. But at 31, the Japanese star is still willing to change his technique.

After beating Alex de Minaur on Wednesday to reach the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament quarter-finals, Nishikori admitted that he has been tinkering with his service motion.

“I did it after elbow surgery [in October 2019] and last December. I was working with Max [Mirnyi], Michael [Chang] and a Japanese coach as well,” Nishikori said. “I tried to look again with my serve and I needed more power, but less use of my shoulder. I was hurting my shoulder too, last year.

“I don’t feel 100 per cent yet, but I think it’s on the way. I was hitting good serves the past two matches, today and [in] the first round, so I’m happy with my serve now.”


In the first round, Nishikori’s serve was especially impressive against seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime. Nishikori did not get broken against the Canadian, who struggled physically in the second set. The Japanese star won 85 per cent of his first-serve points against Felix.

Nishikori’s refined motion is meant to reduce the pressure on his shoulder. In the past, before exploding up to the ball, he would drop his racquet backwards with his forearm so that the strings were nearly parallel to the court. The Japanese player “wasn’t 100 per cent sure” about addressing that, but he spoke to his coaches and moved forward with changing his form.

“Because of my history of injury, I feel like I still need to change something if I have time and if I have the chance. I’m really open to anything,” Nishikori said. “Of course it’s not easy, it’s going to take some time. I still feel like it’s not there yet. But for my body, I will do anything that makes it better.”

How To Watch

The World No. 45 will play Dusan Lajovic or Borna Coric for a spot in the semi-finals. There are no seeded players remaining in the top half of the draw, which could provide Nishikori an opportunity to reach his first ATP Tour final since winning the Brisbane title in 2019.

“Usually I don’t see the draw, so I don’t usually know who I’m going to play next,” Nishikori said. “Daniil was the hottest player for sure in this tournament and I would say Stefanos, too. I think those two are a little bit different and Andrey Rublev, too. But still, [in the] Top 100, everybody can beat a Top 10 player, I would say. There is going to be some gap between [the] Top 50 and Top 10, but still I think anybody can beat anyone right now. It’s going to still be tough.”

For now, the Japanese star is happy to be playing well. The former World No. 4 has looked impressive against two of the sport’s top young talents in Auger-Aliassime and De Minaur.

“I’ve been having a really tough time with injury and [I'm] happy to be in the quarter-finals [in] this tough tournament,” Nishikori said. “I just need to keep going and be ready for the next match.”

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/nishiko ... ve-feature

[Damian]

Really Kei? You Wanted To Be A Penguin!

Spoiler:

Murray, Medvedev and other ATP Tour stars come under the spotlight
When Dutch children asked the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andy Murray for memories of their first kiss, you’d think it would produce the most interesting responses of the interview session. But no! Step forward Kei Nishikori, in response to what he wanted to be growing up.

The Japanese star was a little embarrassed to admit, “They look so cute. I just wanted to be a penguin!”

When told about this in Rotterdam, Murray was stopped in his tracks.

“He wanted to be a penguin?" asked the former World No. 1. "Strange... but good."

Watch the hilarious Rotterdam interview unfold…

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/nishiko ... 21-feature

[Damian]

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

[Kamileki]

Super Kei: Former World No. 3 Kei Nishikori made a strong showing in Rotterdam when he toppled Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alex de Minaur on his way to the third round. Armed with a new service motion, the resurgent Japanese player landed in Tsitsipas’ quarter.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/doha-ma ... ing-report

[Bombardiero]

Kei wygrywa.

[Damian]

Nishikori Overcomes Opelka Firepower In Dubai Opener

Spoiler:

Kei Nishikori kicked off main-draw action at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships with a hard-fought 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Reilly Opelka on Sunday.

Nishikori had to contend against the American’s big serves, which were amplified by the high-bouncing conditions in the Gulf desert. He weathered 13 aces across the one-hour and 36-minute first-round clash, but one break of serve in the second and third sets sealed his victory.

“It wasn’t easy, especially against him on this court,” Nishikori said in an on-court interview. “It’s very fast with a high bounce. It wasn’t easy to make many returns, but I think the couple of games when I broke him in the second and third [sets] I played very solid. I tried to step in a little more because [his serve] bounces really high.”

You May Also Like: Rublev Headlines Packed Section Of Dubai Draw
The former World No. 4 has been in resurgent form in recent weeks, and he arrived in Dubai after a confidence-boosting run to his first ATP Tour quarter-final since 2019 at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam.

Nishikori will face fifth seed David Goffin in the second round. The Japanese player owns a 3-0 lead in his ATP Head2Head series against Goffin, but it will be the pair’s first meeting since 2015.

“I’m happy to play against him next. We’re good friends, he’s a nice guy. We always have good battles and play long matches,” Nishikori said. “I’m expecting a tough one, but I’ll try to do my best.”

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/nishiko ... 021-sunday

[Bombardiero]

[Bombardiero]

[Bombardiero]

[Kamileki]