"I have not lost my passion" - Kei Nishikori puts retirement rumors to rest, eyes Australian Open 2024 participation

Japanese tennis star Kei Nishikori has put all retirement rumors to rest by stating that he will continue to play until his body allows him to.

Nishikori has had an injury-troubled time in recent years. After being away from the tennis circuit for two years, he made his comeback in June earlier this season and immediately won the Palmas Del Mar Challenger in Puerto Rico.

He then lost 4-6, 6-3, 3-6 to Denis Kudla in the second round of the Bloomfield Hills Challenger, and to the up-and-coming Alex Michelsen, 6-7(13), 6-3, 1-6, in the quarterfinals of the Chicago Challenger.

Nishikori made his ATP tour return in Atlanta, where he beat Jordan Thompson 7-6(5), 7-6(5) and Juncheng Shang 6-4, 7-6(3) before going down 4-6, 2-6 to top seed Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals.

Just when it looked like the 33-year-old's troubles were behind him, he had to skip the North American hardcourt swing, withdrawing from the Citi Open, the Canadian Open, and then the US Open.

More recently, Nishikori was expected to be in action on home soil, competing in the Japan Open in Tokyo. However, he decided to skip the ATP 500 hardcourt event. While the slew of withdrawals and injury troubles have led to rumors that he could be considering his retirement, the former World No. 4 has put them to rest by stating that he will continue to play as long as his body allows him to.

"Unfortunately, I miss the Tokyo tournament this year. It is very painful not to be able to play in front of the Japanese fans, but I am still not 100% and I am still training to return to the circuit," he told Daily Online. (via puntodebreak)

"I feel like I will continue playing until my body is completely exhausted. I have not lost my passion at all. If I stop playing, it will be due to physical limitation. Now I'm just waiting for the day to come when I can play again. If I can play several tournaments between now and the end of the year, I will start next season at the Australian Open," he added.

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Kei Nishikori on the mental toll of injuries: "I have been very depressed, I even thought about retiring"

Kei Nishikori is a former ATP World No. 4.

While he has put to bed all talk of his retirement, Kei Nishikori admitted not long ago about how his injury troubles led him to give it a thought.

During his time on the sidelines, he attended a 'UNIQLO LifeWear Day Tokyo' event, where he shed light on what he has been going through mentally.

"I have been very depressed in the last few months, I even thought about retiring. From July to September I was in rehabilitation at home. It's three months when I can't play tennis, I can't even take a racket. Mentally, it's very complicated. Of course, I've been on the verge of retirement," he said.