WATCH: Kei Nishikori has epic reaction to finding out he drew Marin Cilic in Japan Open 1R to set up rematch of US Open final

Kei Nishikori had a hilarious reaction upon discovering that his first-round opponent at the Japan Open is Marin Cilic, setting up a rematch of their 2014 US Open final. Both former top-five players have recently struggled with injury concerns and are ranked outside the Top 150.

Nishikori was on-court at the Ariake Tennis Forest Park when a reporter announced Cilic as his first-round opponent. The local lad's reaction was a mix of laughing through the pain. He acknowledged the tough challenge ahead but also found humor in the situation. Watch his reaction below:

Cilic has been dealing with injury issues related to his knee since early 2023. He returned to the Tour in July 2023 at his home tournament in Croatia but suffered a first-round exit and took another extended break.

Earlier in the year, Cilic participated in a few tournaments before going on a six-month hiatus. He returned in August, playing at the Rafa Nadal Open Challenger and another Challenger event in France. These efforts paid off recently, as he made a run to the final at the Hangzhou Open.

Nishikori, on the other hand, has been plagued by injuries since the Tokyo Olympics. He was sidelined from October 2021 until June 2023 due to injuries to his left groin and right ankle.

Shortly after returning, he was out again until March of this year due to an issue with his left knee. Despite these setbacks, the 34-year-old had his biggest success in recent years at the Canadian Open in August, where he reached the quarterfinals. However, his most recent outing saw him bow out in the first round of the Chengdu Open.

---

Kei Nishikori speaks highly about Marin Cilic before their Japan Open 2024 1R encounter

Kei Nishikori (L) and Marin Cilic at the ATP World Tour Swiss Indoors Basel (Image: Getty)

During a press conference ahead of the Japan Open 2024, Kei Nishikori was asked about his opponent Marin Cilic. The Japanese player believes that Cilic got back into the groove quickly after suffering from injuries.

"I thought he was quick to get back into the swing of things after his return. I saw his matches against Uchiyama and Nishioka, and his quality of play was high," Kei Nishikori said.

"He made some mistakes, but his speed of play, the speed of the ball, and his serve are still intact, and I honestly thought that he was quick to get back into those areas of play," he added.

Nishikori and Cilic have gone head-to-head on tour 15 times with the Japanese leading 9-6. Their last encounter was in the 2018 US Open quarterfinals which Nishikori won 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-4.

Nishikori, the only two-time Japanese titlist in Tokyo, will return to the ATP 500 event for the first time since 2018, hoping to play his best tennis in front of the home crowd.