Guaranteed to be in opposite groups at the World Tour Finals as the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds, Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori both experienced Grand Slam breakthroughs in 2014. Wawrinka went all the way to the Australian Open title, while Nishikori reached the U.S. Open final. Whereas the Swiss started the season on fire, it is Japan’s top player who is surging down the stretch.
Let’s crunch the numbers:
Wawrinka’s 2014 record: 36-15
Nishikori’s 2014 record: 52-12
Wawrinka’s fall record (post-U.S. Open): 2-4
Nishikori’s fall record (post-U.S. Open): 12-2
Wawrinka’s best tournament: Won Australian Open
d. Andrey Golubev 6-4, 4-1, ret.
d. Alejandro Falla 6-3, 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-4
d. Vasek Pospisil (walkover)
d. Tommy Robredo 6-3, 7-6(3), 7-6(5)
d. Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7
d. Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-7(1), 7-6(3), 7-6(4)
d. Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
Nishikori’s best tournament: U.S. Open final
d. Wayne Odesnik 6-2, 6-4, 6-2
d. Pablo Andujar 6-4, 6-1, ret.
d. Leonardo Mayer 6-4, 6-2, 6-3
d. Milos Raonic 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-7(6), 7-5, 6-4
d. Stan Wawrinka 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(7), 6-7(5), 6-4
d. Novak Djokovic 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-3
l. to Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-3, 6-3
Wawrinka’s World Tour Finals appearances: 1
Nishikori’s World Tour Finals appearances: 0
Wawrinka’s World Tour Finals record: 2-2
Nishikori’s World Tour Finals record: 0-0
Wawrinka’s record against other World Tour Finals qualifiers: 32-45
vs. Novak Djokovic: 3-15
vs. Roger Federer: 2-14
vs. Kei Nishikori: 2-1
vs. Andy Murray: 6-8
vs. Tomas Berdych: 9-5
vs. Milos Raonic: 3-0
vs. Marin Cilic: 7-2
Nishikori’s record against other World Tour Finals qualifiers: 17-14
vs. Novak Djokovic: 2-2
vs. Roger Federer: 2-2
vs. Stan Wawrinka: 1-2
vs. Andy Murray: 0-3
vs. Tomas Berdych: 3-1
vs. Milos Raonic: 4-1
vs. Marin Cilic: 5-3
Wawrinka quote:“I’m extremely happy to be back in London. It was my dream and goal to qualify again this year after the great experience in 2013. It’s only my second time and being part of this great event remains a childhood dream for me. The atmosphere in London is one of a kind and it means a lot to me to be there together with the very best players of the world.”
Nishikori quote: “I might get nervous (because it’s my) first time, but I’ll try to play my best tennis and try not to think too much of it being the Tour Finals. It’s a great achievement to play in the Finals. Last year I started thinking about playing there, so it will be really great. Beating Novak in the U.S. Open semifinals was a great experience and gave me a lot of confidence. So for sure I know I have a chance to beat the top players…. I have [a] chance to win some matches.”
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.
Topics: Atp, Barclays World Tour, Kei Nishikori, Ricky Dimon, Stan Wawrinka, Tennis
#BARCLAYS WORLD TOUR FINALS PLAYER COMPARISON: @stanwawrinka VS. @keinishikori BY @RD_Tennistalk- http://t.co/vR3ZO1LLtZ #tennis #ATP
RT @10sBalls_com: #BARCLAYS WORLD TOUR FINALS PLAYER COMPARISON: @stanwawrinka VS. @keinishikori BY @RD_Tennistalk- http://t.co/vR3ZO1LLtZ…
BARCLAYS WORLD TOUR FINALS PLAYER COMPARISON: STAN WAWRINKA VS. KEI NISHIKORI BY RICKY DIMON
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