Kei Nishikori undergoes hip surgery, aims to be back in "about 6 months"

Kei Nishikori recently confirmed that he underwent hip surgery. The Japanese posted a video of himself walking with the help of crutches, and said he was starting his recovery process.

"Surgery went good. Rehab is starting," Nishikori said.

A few days ago, the former US Open finalist said he needed to undergo arthroscopic hip surgery that would sideline him for around six months. The Japanese said he had tried alternative rehab techniques, but was eventually forced to settle on surgery.

"Hi, everyone, I wanted to give you an update. As most of you know, I have not been able to play since Indian Wells with my left hip injury. After trying several rehab options, I have decided (together with my medical team) to have arthroscopic surgery this week. I will work as hard as I can and the goal is to be back in about 6 months. Thank you for all your support and look forward to see you on the tour again soon," Nishikori said.

Kei Nishikori last played at the Indian Wells Masters

Nishikori has not played since the 2021 Indian Wells Masters

Nishikori's last appearance on the ATP tour was at last year's Indian Wells Masters. The former US Open finalist beat Joao Sousa in the first round before losing to Dan Evans in the second.

Nishikori had a few decent performances last year, reaching the quarterfinals of the Rotterdam Open and the Dubai Tennis Championships. He also reached the fourth round of Roland Garros before losing to Alexander Zverev.

Nishikori produced a shock upset at the Tokyo Olympics by beating Andrey Rublev in the first round. He reached the quarterfinals in Tokyo before losing to Novak Djokovic. The highlight of the Japanese's season was a semifinal finish at the Citi Open.

Given that Nishikori will be out of action for around six months, he will slide down the rankings. He is currently No. 46, but may end up dropping out of the top 100 by the time he returns.