Kei Nishikori (data map).
The Australian Open officially announced the preliminary list of the main draw of the 2024 tournament on December 7, and a number of celebrities were shortlisted with protection rankings. However, Japan's Kei Nishikori, who had a brief comeback attempt this season, did not use No48 of the protection rankings registered for this year's Australian Open.
According to Japan's ** Sports Newspaper Knowledge, the reason given by Kei Nishikori for this is that "it feels like it may be too late." ”
Kei Nishikori, who missed the entire 2022 season due to injury, made a comeback at the Challenger in June 2023 and won the title on his first comeback. However, he then suffered a knee injury and has been playing the "no-fight" card since ATP 250 Atlanta. He had planned to make a comeback at the Japan Challenger, but that plan didn't come to fruition.
"If possible, I'd like to compete in the Challenger in the U.S. and then aim for the U.S. hard court season in March – Indian Wells or Miami," Nishikori said. ”
The 33-year-old is a 12-time tour champion who reached the final of the US Open in 2014, where he finished runner-up to Cilic and won a bronze medal in the men's singles at Rio 2016.
Text, edited by Yu Mi, picture Visual China).