KEI NISHIKORI IS THE KING OF ASIA , HE IS A GREAT YOUNG TENNIS CHAMPION FROM JAPAN

Written by: Staff on 7th October 2014

KEI NISHIKORI IS THE KING OF ASIA , HE IS A GREAT YOUNG TENNIS CHAMPION FROM JAPAN

epa04421358 Kei Nishikori of Japan poses wit trophy after winning the match against Julien Benneteau (unseen) of France during the mens single final match of the ATP Malaysian Open tennis tournament in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 28 September 2014. EPA/AHMAD YUSNI |

Kei Nishikori is being billed as the King of Asia after being the first man from the continent to reach a Grand Slam final in the Open and he’s underling the fact after winning back to back titles in first the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur and now taking the Tokyo trophy for the second time at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships.

Nishikori hugely improved his chances of qualifying for a first ever Barclays ATP World Tour Finals next month by moving up to fifth place in the Race to London, overtaking US Open champion Marin Cilic.

But the 24 year-old Japanese has achieved his recent dominance playing on a couple of injuries and was forced to play in pain as he beat fellow London contender Milos Raonic 7-6, 4-6, 6-4.

Nishikori is still feeling some discomfort from the foot that required surgery a month before the US Open and he needed daily treatment to his back and legs during his victorious week in Tokyo and was forced to withdraw from the doubles, letting down partner and countryman Yasutaka Uchiyama after the Japanese pair won through one round.

Shrugging off his aches and pains, Nishikori insisted: “It’s not the kind of injuries that’s going to keep me from playing.

“The ‘cool’ answer would be to say I was doing it for the sake of Japan, but the truth is I want to play in London and I wanted the 500 points on offer here in Tokyo.”

Kei Nishikori of Japan returns a shot against Milos Raonic of Canada during their singles final match at the Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo, Japan, 05 October 2014. EPA/KIYOSHI OTA

Nishikori, who is scheduled to play in this week’s Shanghai Rolex Masters and then after a week’s break contest the Valencia Open in Spain starting October 20, continued: “I hope to get there, I am getting close, but there are two more Masters 1000s and 500s left. These next few weeks will be really important for me.”

Like any other opponent of Raonic, the champion was forced to endure a serving bombardment and the big Canadian unleashed 22 aces during the two hours 13 minutes long final. “He was serving really well,” said Nishikori.

“Luckily I got the first tie-break and that helped my motivation for the match. If I had lost the tie-break, I might have screwed up the whole match. He started aggressively and I think it was one of my toughest games against Milos. I am really happy to win. He had a lot of chances in the third set; he almost broke my serve a couple of times.”

Nishikori’s actual year round ranking on the ATP World Tour computer has risen dramatically from 21st position on March 17 “It’s the first time I have won a title two weeks in a row. After the US Open , it was hard to maintain my motivation. I had to stay strong and focused, especially this week when I wasn’t feeling 100%.”

And he praised the input of his part-time co-coach Michael Chang. “He has raised my level,” said the Japanese. “We have practiced more on the court and also physical work. Beating a few Top 10 guys over the past year has helped my confidence.”

Kei Nishikori of Japan kisses his trophy after winning the men’s singles final against Milos Raonic of Canada at the Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo, Japan, 05 October 2014. Nishikori won 7-6(5), 4-6, and 6-4. EPA/KIYOSHI OTA

CONTENT VIA Bob Larson News

Topics: Japan Open, Kei Nishikori, King of Asia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Open, Shanghai Rolex Masters, Tennis, Tokyo