Kei Nishikori issues major retirement statement amid latest brutal luck, adversity

10/17/2023 11:40 AM

Kei Nishikori, 33, has underlined that is not thinking about retiring at all despite the latest adversity as the Japanese plans on playing "until my body is completely burned out." After being sidelined for nearly 20 months, Nishikori made his long-awaited comeback to tennis in June. Nishikori appeared in just four tournaments before he sustained a knee injury at the Atlanta Open in July. After missing the US Open, Nishikori also had to withdraw from this week's Japan Open in Tokyo. "I feel like I will keep playing until my body is completely burned out, I've not lost my passion at all. Want to play a tennis match, at the moment it's unlikely for me to end my career because of a loss of passion. If I stop, it should be because of physical limitations. Now I'm just waiting, hoping the day when I can unleash my power will come. If I can play several events for the rest of the year, I'll start playing from the beginning of the year, Australian Open, next year," Nishikori said, via Japanese publication Daily Online.

If I stop, it should be because of physical limitation. Now I'm just waiting, hope the day when I can unleash my power will come. If I can play several events for the rest of the year, I'll start playing from the beginning of the year, Australian Open, next year."@DailyOnline

— 井蛙堂 (@seiadoumogera) October 15, 2023

In Tokyo, Nishikori is an absolute fan and home favorite. Unfortunately for Nishikori and his Japanese fans, he hasn't played at an ATP 500 event in Tokyo since 2018. Between 2007 and 2018, Nishikori made 10 appearances in Tokyo. Nishikori claimed titles in Tokyo in 2012 and 2014, while he was beaten in the 2018 Tokyo final by Daniil Medvedev. This year, Nishikori was aiming to finally make his return to the Japan Open. "Unfortunately I've decided to miss the Japan Open this year. It's very tough that I can't play in front of Japanese fans but I'm not 100% fit yet, still working on training to be back to the Tour. Looking forward to playing in front of you, please be waiting for me," Nishikori announced last week. It remains to be seen when will Nishikori play again.