Find Out: Kei Nishikori reveals his dream match at a Masters 1000, and the toughest match he has played so far
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Kei Nishikori, Roger Federer
Kei Nishikori, US Open 2014 runner-up is slowly showing signs of his former self in the recent weeks on tour. The Japanese does not have a title to show for his efforts but he has impressed one and all after his good performances in Dubai and Rotterdam. Nishikori reached the quarterfinals in both tournaments and defeated some tough opponents on the way.
In an interview to ATP Website, Kei Nishikori revealed his dream match at a Masters 1000 event. The Japanese revealed that he would love to face Roger Federer in the finals of a Masters event and revealed that the Swiss maestro is his idol. Nishikori has faced Federer 11 times in his career, with the Japanese winning on three occasions, with the last one coming at the Nitto ATP Finals in 2018.
“I would play Roger, because he is my idol,” said Nishikori. “If we can play a couple more times, it would be great because it is just fun to play against him. You get many experiences from [playing] him. I am sure he is going to play a couple more years. Before he retires, I want to play him a couple more times. A final would be great,” he added.
Kei Nishikori reveals the toughest match he has played in his career
Kei Nishikori revealed the toughest match he had played in his career so far. The Japanese star recalled the Madrid Open 2014 final against Rafael Nadal, where he had to withdraw from the match in the last set due to an injury.
Nishikori stated that he played some of his best tennis on that day, and was up a set and a break in the second, before Nadal came storming back into the match. However, he had to retire from the match due to an injury and he could not move as well on court.
“I would say the 2014 Madrid final against Rafa. It was good and bad. I played [some of] my best tennis. It was a great match and a great start,” said Nishikori. “I was closing my eyes, hitting everything and it was going in. After the second set, I started feeling my leg. I couldn’t move. Unfortunately, I had to retire. It was a good memory, but also sad because I had a little chance to win against Rafa,” he added.
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Nirmit Mehta
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