Concerns rise for Kei Nishikori as Japanese withdraws from Citi Open with injury

Japan's Kei Nishikori has decided to withdraw from the 2023 Citi Open, briefly halting his return to the ATP Tour after a gap of 20 months.

Nishikori was set to face Lloyd Harris of South Africa in the first round in Washington on August 1. However, he withdrew shortly before the encounter was set to begin due to a left knee injury. The 33-year-old will be replaced by the lucky loser and fellow Japanese player Sho Shimabukuro.

Kei Nishikori looked in distress during his last match at the Atlanta Open on July 29. Citi Open was supposed to be Nishikori's second ATP Tour event after his return to professional tennis in June.

The Citi Open has been a successful hunting ground for Nishikori, who won the title in 2015 and owns an 18-7 win-loss record at the tournament. In addition, he also reached two semifinals at this event. His last appearance at this tournament was in 2021.

The Japanese star made an emphatic comeback to the ATP Tour at the Atlanta Open recently, reaching the quarterfinal. The former World No. 4 defeated Jordan Thompson in the first round, 7-6(5), 7-6(5), and Juncheng Shang in the second round, 6-4, 7-6 (3).

Nishikori's run was halted by top seed and eventual winner Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinal, 6-4, 6-2. This performance in Atlanta helped Nishikori shoot up to World No. 353.

After his win against Thompson, the former US Open finalist remarked that he plans to take it one match at a time and build his confidence by playing against top players.

"No, there are no goals. Just trying to play one match at a time and try to win this kind of tough match. I just need more confidence to play with top players," he remarked.

Atlanta Open was Nishikori's first ATP Tour event since October 2021, when he lost to Dan Evans in the second round of the Indian Wells Open.

After Indian Wells, Nishikori had to undergo hip surgery in January 2022, which put him on the sidelines for a long time.

Kei Nishikori won a Challenger title before returning to the ATP Tour

Kei Nishikori

Before stepping up to the top level of men's tennis, Kei Nishikori competed in multiple Challenger level tournaments to ease his return to professional tennis. The Japanese first competed at the Palmas del Mar Challenger in Puerto Rico in June and won the tournament, dropping only one set along the way.

Nishikori then played two Challenger tournaments in the USA, at Bloomfield Hills and Chicago, in July. The 12-time ATP champion ended his Challenger run with eight wins in 10 matches and a title under his belt.

After winning the Challenger title in Puerto Rico, Kei Nishikori revealed that he played these tournaments in the hope of breaking into the top 100 and competing at the 2023 US Open. He reached the final of the US Open in 2014, losing to Marin Cilic.

“I want to ramp up from here and aim for the big tournaments like the US Open. I want to climb back in the top 100, so I need to keep leveling up," Nishikori said.