Nishikori: "I doubted myself a lot, I didn't know how long it would take me to come back"

Kei Nishikori signed today at the ATP Montreal 2024 one of those victories he needed. After months of playing Challengers and trying to get back to a good level on the circuit, the Japanese player defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Canadian tournament to receive an essential confidence boost to keep believing in himself. Minutes after completing his triumph against the Greek, Nishikori spoke to the media in the press conference to explain the meaning of his result, the goals he sets for this season, and his plan for the upcoming weeks.

"Today I started really well compared to my first match. I was very unstable and had many ups and downs, but today I was solid from the beginning. There were some moments of instability as well, for example, when he came back from 5-2 to 5-4. There were moments when I had to step up and refocus, but I did it very well. I am very happy to have beaten someone like him, someone I wasn't supposed to beat. I am looking forward to playing in the next rounds," Kei said at the press conference.

From doubting himself to achieving the most important victory in years

"These two matches I've won give me a lot of confidence, especially because I played very poorly last week at the Olympics. Draper defeated me very easily. I didn't know how long it would take me to come back. I doubted myself a lot, so this victory and the way I played help me a lot for the coming months. I will play some Challengers to gain confidence, to have more matches, hopefully, and return to the circuit again. My goal is to reach the Top 100 for next year."

How is your physical condition?

"Since I haven't played many matches, my body is more tired than usual. Even so, I am fine to play a few more matches, so that's a good thing. I am sure that if I keep playing more matches, my body will adapt, and I hope to stay healthy. I am still on the path to return to 100%. I don't expect to play great tennis in every match. I think there will still be many ups and downs."

Roadmap for the next months

"Since I can't play the US Open, I have to choose a Challenger. I will go to Italy and hope to be able to play in the Asian tour because I am from there. I like to play Challengers when I come back from an injury. Maybe I made the mistake of playing against top players in recent months, and that hasn't given me good rhythm. They are tough opponents, so it's not easy. In the next few weeks, I hope to earn some points, play more matches. That's my plan."

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Nishikori: "Dudé mucho de mí mismo, no sabía cuánto tiempo me costaría volver"