Kei Nishikori, the best male Japanese tennis player in the Open Era, is nearing retirement. The former World No. 4 is now ranked 721 in the world after not scoring any points in the last 52 weeks due to injuries, but was given a wildcard at the Washington Open, a tournament he won in 2015, knowing that Nishikori will retire after the Japanese Open in September.
Nishikori, 36 years old, managed to win the first round, coming from behind to defeat the Chinese Shang Juncheng, his first tour victory in 14 months, but couldn’t do anything against one of the breakthroughs of the year, Rafael Jódar, 19 years old and ranked 24 in the world, who defeated him 6-3, 6-2 in the round of 16. Jódar, in his first season at the ATP, will face world no. 15 Lorenzo Musetti for the first time in the quarter-finals.
Kei Nishikori admitted it was a horrible match for him, overpowered physically by the Spanish teenager. “Kei is one of the best players of all time. He’s won so many titles. It’s a pleasure to play against him, a legend like Kei”, Jódar said.
Nishikori is ending an excellent career in which he won 12 ATP titles (out of 15 finales played), reached the US Open 2014 final, defeating Novak Djokovic but losing to Marin Cilic, and an Olympic bronze medal in Rio 2016, defeating Rafa Nadal. He will be given a wildcard for the Japan Open, an ATP 500 tournament that Nishikori won twice, in 2012 and 2014.
lev radin / Shutterstock.com