Kei Nishikori's final appearance at Flushing Meadows ended this week, as the ******* anese star fell 6-4, 7-6(3) to countryman Rei Sakamoto, ranked 157th, in the third round of US Open qualifying.
"I couldn't play my best today," Nishikori said after the match.
It's a familiar refrain for the 36-year-old, who has struggled for several years to find consistent form while battling injuries. Still, he remained gracious in defeat.
"I'm sure he had more than me. I had zero pressure coming into today's match," Nishikori said, as reported by Tennis Panorama. "I was really excited to play Rei. I know him for a long time, and we practiced together a lot in IMG."
Nishikori credited Sakamoto's speed and hard serve for disrupting his rhythm throughout the match. While it wasn't the ending he envisioned, the loss doubled as a passing-of-the-torch moment, with Nishikori falling to the current third ranked ******* anese player.
#ranked
"I couldn't play my best today," Nishikori said after the match.
It's a familiar refrain for the 36-year-old, who has struggled for several years to find consistent form while battling injuries. Still, he remained gracious in defeat.
"I'm sure he had more than me. I had zero pressure coming into today's match," Nishikori said, as reported by Tennis Panorama. "I was really excited to play Rei. I know him for a long time, and we practiced together a lot in IMG."
Nishikori credited Sakamoto's speed and hard serve for disrupting his rhythm throughout the match. While it wasn't the ending he envisioned, the loss doubled as a passing-of-the-torch moment, with Nishikori falling to the current third ranked ******* anese player.
#ranked
2 months ago
