Armed with determination and a mysterious allure, Kei Nishikori is taking giant strides into the upper echelons of tennis

A few years back there used to be, featured here in India, a televised Japanese adventure-based game show called ‘Takeshi’s Castle.’ The objective was simple; the participants had to cross a set of obstacles before tackling the last and biggest mock-fight trying to take down the ‘evil’ general who ruled the castle.

As funny as it was to watch the participants tumble like ninny pins, day after day, the most interesting aspect of the program was about them taking each challenge seriously even though it was a mere light-hearted game show. However, where many ended up giving embarrassed grins after having lost out of the game, there were a few participants who, though slipped and fell, picked themselves up, ready to give it one more shot for as long as they could as per the game’s rules.

There are a few pronounced differences in the premise of seriousness between the TV program and the professional and competitive world of sport. Yet, watching Kei Nishikori over the years, right up to his win at the Barcelona Open, making him the first Japanese player to win a clay court tournament, has been quite reminiscent of the select determined numbers making up the participants in that mad-cap television program.

Nishikori’s victory run at the Barcelona Open can be summed up quite succinctly as being effortlessly simple. There were no thrilling comebacks. Each opponent was dispatched comfortably, including Roberto Bautista-Agut, Nishikori’s second-round opponent against whom he had to go through the full quota of three sets, with the barest of fuss. Nishikori’s methodical chipping away at his opponents’ tactics drew some substantial takeaways as his opponents, in each round, struggled to maintain their control over their game with none coming closer to displacing or disrupting the Japanese’s rhythm

The scorelines too thus seemed set on a repetitive pattern with the loss of just one set in the second round and a handful of games lost in all the matches thereafter, including the final, where he just lost four games. Nishikori’s win also reinforced the unexpected swings that we have come to witness this year, in what has normally been a very predictable clay court season for a good part of the past decade.

The prelude to Nishikori’s win at the Barcelona Open of course was set by Nicolas Almagro, whose shocking upset of the defending champion and top seed Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals grabbed all the headlines at the tournament. It also predicated the end of yet another established tradition involving Nadal in one of the most significant clay events on tour.

And at the end of it, attention was once again brought to the battle for the top spot between Rafa and Novak Djokovic, not that it is ever lacking, thanks to the former’s lapse in defending his title at Barcelona.

But Nishikori’s victory also ensured that enough attention remained riveted towards the other highly ranked players in the top 15. The Japanese’s win propelled him to 12^th spot in the rankings, giving him a very good chance at equaling his previous best, and perhaps even going higher than that and breaking into the top-10 for the very first time. With two more Masters 1000 tournaments coming up on clay in the next couple of weeks just before the French Open gets underway, that would represent a momentous occasion for Nishikori,

In terms of the younger generation shaping up, and their consistent runs so far this season, the 24-year-old definitely deserves the most prominent mentions. In the seven ATP events that have taken place so far this season, Nishikori has done well in all, but two events, which have gone to make quite a resounding case for him. As far as making player forecasts go, these upswings have been getting stronger, allowing for a greater possibility of Nishikori making deeper inroads into the current pecking order of men’s tennis.

With some big wins so far this season behind him, Nishikori must now feel confident about taking on the big guns in men’s tennis, even as opponents continue to stumble against the Japanese’s potent shot-making. Maybe it’s his mindset that allows him to maintain an unshakeable control throughout the course of the match. Or maybe the air of inscrutability is what makes him so impervious to losses of momentum during a match.

Most tennis players today wear their hearts on their sleeves while displaying the whole gamut of expressions – ranging from exultation to frustration – adding to their ultimate charm and hold over their fans. But when it comes to Nishikori, most of the time, there’s no way of knowing what’s going through his mind. His impassiveness possibly gives him that edge over his opponents, ensuring that he’s always in with a chance, despite how events maybe unfolding in the match.

One however shall never know. Kei Nishikori, like the many mysteries and fables given to the world by the Oriental countries, and been marveled at and admired alike by the people, is yet another example of excellence of a marvelous and mysterious kind. A mystery that has only gotten more intriguing with this recent successful phase , giving the impression that there are many, many more layers to be unraveled and discovered inside of this talented Japanese tennis star.