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ATPWorldTour.com talks exclusively to Kei Nishikori on the 10th anniversary of his first ATP World Tour title at 2008 Delray Beach
Kei Nishikori didn’t want to play the 2008 Delray Beach Open for fear of being outclassed, even embarrassed. At 18 years of age, he didn’t think he belonged at tour-level at all.

Two weeks earlier, the Japanese teenager had lost in the third round of qualifying at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Dallas against KJ Hippensteel, who won a single tour-level match in his career. So how would Nishikori, World No. 244, make it through qualifying at an ATP World Tour event?

“I told my coach I didn’t want to play in Delray because it’s a different level and [there’s] no way I’m going to win those tournaments,” Nishikori told ATPWorldTour.com. “But my coach pushed me to play.”

It’s a good thing Nishikori listened to his coach, Glenn Weiner. The rest, as they say, is history.

Ten years ago this week, Nishikori would go on one of the most memorable runs at an ATP World Tour event in recent memory. The teenager won eight matches — saving 12 of 12 break points faced in a three-set second-round win, saving four match points in the semi-finals against Sam Querrey, and finally, shocking World No. 12 James Blake 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to win his first ATP World Tour crown.

“I remember in my head I thought, ‘Well, James is probably going to win this tournament’,” Querrey said, recalling his loss.

“I thought, ‘Oh, wow. This is a big opportunity. I’m getting to play a qualifier in the final’,” Blake remembered.

But instead, Nishikori became the first Japanese tour-level titlist since Shuzo Matsuoka at 1992 Seoul and the youngest player to win a title, period, since former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt captured 1998 Adelaide as a 16-year-old.

Youngest ATP World Tour Champions Since 2000

Player Event Age
Kei Nishikori 2008 Delray Beach 18 years, 1 month, 19 days
Rafael Nadal 2004 Sopot 18 years, 2 months, 12 days
Andy Roddick 2001 Atlanta 18 years, 7 months, 30 days
Andy Murray 2006 San Jose 18 years, 9 months, 4 days
Lleyton Hewitt 2000 Adelaide 18 years, 10 months, 23 days
‘Project 45’ — the mission touting Nishikori’s pursuit of Matsuoka’s Japanese-best mark of No. 46 in the ATP Rankings, was underway. Yet, before the week started, the spotlight seemed distant.

“At that time, it was really hard to believe [in myself],” Nishikori admitted. “I was losing to guys ranked like 300 and I wasn’t playing well. I don’t know what happened.”

Well, it certainly worked. Knowing what we know today — Nishikori has ascended as high as No. 4 in the ATP Rankings, won 11 tour-level titles and earned 32 Top 10 victories — it is easy to look back and understand how the superstar triumphed that week in Delray Beach. But it was not that obvious a decade ago.

“That was amazing, amazing for sure,” said Dante Bottini, Nishikori’s coach since December 2010, who worked at the IMG Academy (where Nishikori has trained since coming to the United States at 13) starting in 2007. “Being such a young kid, I remember he wasn’t that big. He was very skinny, playing with all these big guys. That was very, very impressive. Very impressve.”

Becoming the first Japanese player since Matsuoka (1995 Beijing) to advance to a tour-level semi-final was worthy of commendation. But Nishikori faced four match points against Querrey. The magical run, it seemed, was one big shot from coming to an end.

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Somehow, Nishikori survived.

“I was the Challenger guy,” Nishikori said. “He was a much better player. I had no pressure and I was just playing with nothing to lose, so I think I was more free to play those points and maybe I had more guts to play aggressively.”

“He came out and beat James the next day. A little bit of a shock then, but now looking back, it wasn’t so much of a shock,” Querrey said. “He’s had such a great career.”

The thing is, at that point, Nishikori never believed he would beat Blake. And neither did the top seed.

“I’d seen a little bit of the match. But I knew the way I was playing, I felt like I could be overpowering. I would be able to be aggressive,” Blake said. “And also, he might be nervous. It was his first final.”

And whether it was because of nerves or not, Nishikori still did not believe he would win while serving at 5-4, 40/0 in the third set, three championship points on his racquet. Blake was a full-fledged star. Nishikori was just a teenager, playing someone who he had only watched on television.

“I wasn’t believing that I could win the match. I was still thinking I might lose this game, even though I had match points,” Nishikori said. “It was really tough to believe in myself, especially against James, who was almost Top 10. And I was watching him on TV at that time, so it wasn’t easy.”

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A Blake forehand error sealed the up-and-comer’s victory — Nishikori was no longer ‘The Challenger Guy’.

“I played pretty well and he just beat me,” Blake said. “I remember coming back and my brother and my coach were there and my brother said, ‘That kid is going to be really, really good’.

“Normally my brother might make an excuse like, ‘Oh, you had a rough day’ or whatever. He just said, ‘That kid is going to be good. You didn’t do anything wrong today’,” Blake remembered. “I felt like that was the case and it was so surprising to have a qualifier ranked 200 and something in the world come in and just outplay me and beat me when I was near the Top 10 in the world.”

Later that year, the teenager would become the first Japanese player to reach the fourth round at the US Open since Jiro Yamagishi in 1937. By the end of 2008, Nishikori would soar to No. 63 in the world. And while injuries set him back, the right-hander would break Matsuoka’s record ATP Ranking for a Japanese player at 2011 Shanghai.

But all of that success stems from one magical week in Delray Beach, Florida. Not bad for a guy who didn’t want to be there, saying he’d “rather play a Challenger and win a couple matches”.

“I was coming from almost nothing before [Delray Beach],” Nishikori said. “That was the start of my career.”

Odbudowujący się po kontuzji nadgarstka Kei Nishikori ma ambitne plany. Na konferencji prasowej w Indian Wells Japończyk wyjawił, że chce jak najszybciej wrócić do czołowej "dziesiątki" rankingu ATP.

Z powodu kontuzji nadgarstka Kei Nishikori nie grał do sierpnia do stycznia. Do rywalizacji powrócił w ostatnim tygodniu pierwszego miesiąca 2018 roku, występując w challengerze w Dallas. - Zdecydowałem się na występy w Challengerach, aby zmierzyć się z wymagającymi amerykańskimi tenisistami i nabrać pewności siebie - mówił na konferencji prasowej przed startem turnieju w Indian Wells.
Uraz, z jakim zmagał się Japończyk, był bardzo poważny. Tenisiście z Shimane groziła nawet operacja, co wiązałoby się z jeszcze dłuższą przerwą w występach. - Musiałem podjąć wiele trudnych decyzji. Byłem blisko zdecydowania się na zabieg, ale postanowiłem tego nie robić. Bardzo pomogła mi konsultacja ze specjalistą z Belgii - wyjaśniał.

Rozpoczęty w czwartek turniej BNP Paribas Open będzie dla Nishikoriego najpoważniejszym sprawdzianem od czasu powrotu po kontuzji. - Psychicznie czuję się wypoczęty i gotowy. Jeśli chodzi o sprawy fizycznie, moje ciało i nadgarstek dopiero przyzwyczajają się do tego wszystkiego, ale mam poczucie, że chcę grać jak najwięcej. Z powodu kontuzji zmieniłem nieco ruch serwisowy.

Japończyk, w marcu 2015 roku czwarty tenisista świata, aktualnie zajmuje 25. miejsce w klasyfikacji singlistów. Ale zamierza wrócić do ścisłej czołówki. - Minie trochę czasu, nim będę prezentował swój optymalny poziom, ale moim celem jest jak najszybszy powrót do czołowej "dziesiątki" - wyjawił.

Zmagania w Indian Wells Nishikori rozpocznie w niedzielę meczem z Leonardo Mayerem.

Japanese star will face Sydney champion Medvedev in the second round
Kei Nishikori could easily have endured a short stay at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, six years on from his debut. But the Japanese star dug deep on Monday to maintain his hold on Tomas Berdych, a resident of the Monaco principality. Nishikori triumphed 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 over one hour and 46 minutes to improve to 5-1 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.

"It's actually great to come back this tournament," said Nishikori, who received on-court treatment for a sore wrist. "I haven't got a lot of matches this year. I hope I can play more matches on clay. I always enjoy this Europe season... I feel like Tomas was struggling little bit in second, and third too. Nobody's expecting I think 100 per cent in the first couple of matches."
Berdych was pin-point accurate in the first three games — winning 13 of the first 17 points — and he looked set to add to his lone win over Nishikori in the 2012 Monte-Carlo third round.
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But it was a different story in the second set when Berdych saved two break point in the first game, prior to a lapse in concentration. From a 1-2 deficit, Nishikori won seven straight games — clinching 28 of the 38 points – including service breaks in the fifth and seventh games, then in the first game of the decider.
Berdych wilted in the heat, winning just seven points in the third set and Nishikori will now prepare to challenge Russian Daniil Medvedev in the second round.
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Canadian No. 14 seed Milos Raonic struck 22 aces and won 82 per cent of his first service points to beat Monaco wild card Lucas Catarina 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in two hours and 27 minutes. Raonic has reached the quarter-finals at the Monte-Carlo Country Club on three occasions (2014 (l. to Wawrinka) and 2015-16 (l. to Berdych both times). He now awaits the winner of Bosnia & Herzegovina’s Damir Dzumhur and qualifier Marco Cecchinato of Italy.
Top seed and 10-time champion Rafael Nadal will begin his campaign against Slovenia’s Aljaz Bedene, who knocked out Dzumhur’s compatriot, lucky loser Mirza Basic, 6-4, 7-6(3) in 88 minutes.
Did You Know?
Nishikori's only loss in his FedEx ATP Head2Head series against Berdych came in Monte-Carlo six years ago

Will meet Seppi or Garcia-Lopez in the third round

Japan’s Kei Nishikori recovered from a slow start — as he did in his first-round win over Czech 2015 finalist Tomas Berdych — to get the better of Russian Daniil Medvedev at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Tuesday.

Nishikori, who is this week competing at the Monte-Carlo Country Club for the first time since 2012, bounced back from 1-3 in the opener to win 7-5, 6-2 in one hour and 41 minutes. He will now play Italian qualifier Andreas Seppi or lucky loser Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain in the third round.

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“He was better than me initially, but I tried to stay calm and began to dominate from the baseline,” said Nishikori. “I played better in the second set. I will now rest and prepare for tomorrow, when I hope to play well.”

Medvedev gained the early advantage when Nishikori hit a backhand wide in the fourth game, but the former World No. 4 broke back immediately. From 4-5 in the first set, Nishikori won five straight games and thereafter continued to threaten Medvedev’s serve, causing the 22-year-old Sydney International titlist to rush.

In winning 14 of the last 19 points, including a third break of serve for 5-2, Nishikori recorded his sixth match win of the year.

Did You Know?
Kei Nishikori has a 0.716 FedEx ATP Win/Loss Record on clay, with 73 wins and just 29 losses on the surface in his career.

Kei Brings 'A' Game, Upsets Cilic

Kei Nishikori pumped his right fist in celebration after winning a physically demanding encounter against Marin Cilic on Friday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

Nishikori, renowned for his fighting abilities, had seen three match points evaporate in the second set, but as the match wore on he dug deep in the critical moments to complete a 6-4, 6-7(1), 6-3 quarter-final victory over the second-seeded Cilic.

Having also worked hard in his three previous wins this week over 2015 runner-up Tomas Berdych, Daniil Medvedev and qualifier Andreas Seppi, the Japanese star – through to his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final in 20 months – will now prepare to face third-seeded German Alexander Zverev, celebrating his 21st birthday today, or France’s Richard Gasquet on Saturday. Nishikori, who reached the New York Open semi-finals (l. to Anderson) in February, lost to Zverev in their only FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting at the 2017 Citi Open in Washington D.C. Gasquet leads Nishikori 7-2 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.


Nishikori’s eighth victory in 14 FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings against World No. 3 Cilic was earned over two hours and 56 minutes. It was the first time he had beaten a player in the Top 3 of the ATP Rankings since November 2016, when he beat then No. 3-ranked Monte-Carlo resident Stan Wawrinka at the 2016 Nitto ATP Finals.

The Japanese star has reached three Masters 1000 finals – at the 2014 Mutua Madrid Open (l. to Nadal) and two in 2016 at the Miami Open presented by Itaú and the Rogers Cup in Toronto (l. to Djokovic both times), which was also his last semi-final appearance at the elite level.


Nishikori looked in complete control throughout the first set, which included one service break in the fifth game. But when Cilic was leading 3-1 in the second set, the Croatian stopped play after the first point of the fifth game to take a medical time out. With something bothering Cilic below his right knee that was already strapped up, the three-minute break in play benefitted Nishikori, who broke back immediately and went on to clinch Cilic’s serve in a nine-minute ninth game.

Yet Nishikori, serving for a place in the semi-finals, was unable to close out three match point opportunities from 40/15 and Ad-In, courtesy of a double fault, a backhand error and a well-timed backhand winner from Cilic. Soon errors in the tie-break, coupled with aggressive play from Cilic that saw the second seed win seven of the eight points, sent the encounter into a decider.

Nishikori needed to bide his time until the eighth game of the third set, with Cilic hit a forehand into the net when serving at 30/40. Minutes later, at 5-3, 40/30, Nishikori sent a first serve down the middle which Cilic couldn’t get enough racquet on.

Monte-Carlo resident Cilic, who had been competing in the quarter-finals for the third time (also 2015, 2017) at the club where he trains year-round, drops to a 15-6 match record on the season, which includes a runner-up finish at the Australian Open (l. to Federer).

Did You Know?
Nishikori continues his pursuit of a third tour-level clay-court title. The Japanese star triumphed in Barcelona in 2014 and 2015.

Nishikori will play for his first clay-court Masters 1000 title
Kei Nishikori came through his fourth three-setter in five matches this week on Saturday to become the first player from Japan to reach the final of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, which first began in 1897.
Nishikori knocked out third-seeded German and Monte-Carlo resident Alexander Zverev in a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 semi-final victory that lasted two hours and 13 minutes. Nishikori had previously lost to Zverev in the Citi Open semi-finals at Washington, D.C. in July 2017.
The 28-year-old Nishikori will now contest his fourth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final (0-3) and his first since August 2016 at the Rogers Cup in Montreal (l. to Djokovic). He will play 10-time champion Rafael Nadal in Sunday’s championship match at the Monte-Carlo Country Club. Incidentally, World No. 1 Nadal returned to a practice court on Saturday afternoon after his 6-4, 6-1 semi-final win over Grigor Dimitrov, ahead of his bid to capture a record 31st Masters 1000 crown.
Nadal leads Nishikori 9-2 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, including two clay-court final wins at the 2014 Mutua Madrid Open (when Nishikori injured his back) and at the 2016 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. Nishikori did win the pair’s last match 6-2, 6-7(1), 6-3 on a hard court at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
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Nishikori hit his first double fault on game point at 3-3, then began to lose his concentration. Zverev capitalised to break, after Nishikori committed a third successive error, and went on to secure the first set that lasted 38 minutes, when his Japanese opponent struck a forehand long.
While Zverev recovered an 0-2 deficit in the second set with three straight games, the German struggled for service consistency and was broken on three occasions. At 3-5, 15/40, a stray forehand cost Zverev the set. It meant that Zverev would contest his fourth straight three-setter this week (Muller, Struff, Gasquet), while Nishikori was going the distance for the fourth time (Berdych, Seppi, Cilic) in five matches.
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Each player saved two break points in their first service games of the decider and Nishikori later showcased his great hands, with a cute forehand volley at 3-3, Ad Out, en route to winning a 10-minute seventh game. Nishikori completed his 10th match win of the year when a deep return was hooked wide by Zverev, who had reached last month’s Miami Open presented by Itaú final (l. to Isner).
The 21-year-old Zverev, now 17-7 on the season, had been attempting to become the first player from his country to reach the final since Boris Becker, who had been present at the tournament this week, finished as runner-up for the third time in 1995 (also 1989, 1991). Gottfried von Cramm remains the only German to lift the trophy, doing so on two occasions in 1936 and 1937.
Did You Know?
Kei Nishikori is appearing in the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters for just the second time. He last played in Monaco in 2012, falling in the Round of 16 (l. to Berdych).

No se le puede echar en cara absolutamente nada a Kei Nishikori. Después de un final de temporada lesionado y un comienzo de 2018 con alguna que otra duda, el japonés se ha plantado en cuatro meses en una final de Masters 1000, lugar que tantos otros jugadores soñarían con pisar. Rafa Nadal resultó ser la prueba más dura posible en Montecarlo y por eso el español terminó levantando el título, aunque esto no ha de ser motivo de enfado para el de Shimane. Todo lo contrario: cabeza alta y a pensar en Barcelona… donde seguramente vuelva a encontrarse con el balear.

“Hay que felicitar a Rafa por volver a ganar este increíble torneo. Hoy ha jugado muy bien, ha jugado muy bien a lo largo de toda la semana y su dominio ha sido absoluto. Agradezco también el trato a toda la organización, para mí ha sido una gran semana después de una lesión que me tuvo parado mucho tiempo en 2017, llevaba muchos meses sin jugar y aquí he podido volver a disfrutar de una final de Masters 1000. Ojalá que en el futuro pueda volver a enfrentarme a Rafa aquí y ofrece un mejor partido”, reconoció el asiático en la entrega de trofeos.

“Sabía que iba a ser un partido muy difícil, pasara lo que pasara en la final. Mantener un nivel tan alto es finales así es muy complicado, al final me ha faltado un poquito de gasolina. Ahora mismo lo que necesito es algo más de confianza para volver a lucir mi mejor nivel de tenis. Estoy seguro de que esta semana me ayudará mucho en el futuro”, confesó más tarde en sala de prensa.

El japonés también hizo referencia al estado actual de su físico. “Mi muñeca no está todavía al 100% preparada para competir sobre tierra batida, pero de momento lo estoy manejando lo suficientemente bien, me hago pruebas todas las semanas. Noto unas sensaciones de mucha pesadez al comienzo de los partidos, también un poquito de dolor. Lo malo es que ese dolor se acaba extendiendo por todo el brazo”, subrayó un Kei que ha empezado la gira de arcilla con un notable alto.

Just three months after making his return to competitive action on the ATP Challenger Tour in Newport Beach and Dallas, Kei Nishikori reminded the tennis world of his abilities with a hard-fought run to the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters final this week.

The former World No. 4, who was forced to shut down his 2017 ATP World Tour season with a wrist injury last August, navigated a tough draw in the Principality, defeating Tomas Berdych, Marin Cilic and Alexander Zverev in three-set battles en route to the championship match (l. to Nadal).

“This week [is] going to help a lot with my confidence,” revealed Nishikori. “I think I've been playing well this week, and I think I'm almost there, [at my top level].”


Despite falling short of winning his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title, the 28-year-old was proud of his progress after reaching his first final since the 2017 Argentina Open (l. to Dolgopolov).

“It was a great week for me,” said Nishikori. “I'm very happy that made [the] final here.”

Nishikori had taken an early advantage in Sunday’s final, breaking the World No. 1 in the third game of the match to lead 2-1, but Nadal eventually established control of the match before racing to the title in the second set.

“I knew it was going to be tough to maintain my level because he gives me all the balls back,” said Nishikori. “I knew it was going to be tough even though I was up [a] break.

”I was kind of out of gas… especially [in the] second set,” admitted Nishikori. “He makes [it] tough… he was also playing great tennis.”


While Nishikori may continue to experience some discomfort in his wrist, the 2014 US Open finalist did take comfort in how his wrist, and body in general, stood up to the pressure of playing 14 sets, against top-level opposition, to progress to the final.

"I was handling [the situation] well," said Nishikori. "Maybe my body, especially my legs, were very heavy today, playing three sets, three days in a row, playing with tough players. It wasn't easy physically."

While a successful week in Monte-Carlo, without injury, is a positive sign for Nishikori, he revealed the close monitoring process that goes into avoiding further issues.

"I [have] got to check [the wrist] every week, every day. It's not 100% yet," said Nishikori. "I [have] got to take care every week."

Nishikori now heads to the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, where he could meet Nadal once again in the third round. The two-time champion (2014, 2015) is the only non-Spanish winner of the event since 2002 (Gaudio) and will open his bid for a third title against countryman Yuichi Sugita or Spain’s Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the second round.