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Kei Nishikori: remains hopeful for 2018 Australian Open return

By Harry Floyd

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 05: Kei Nishikori of Japan takes questions after his match with Alexander Zverev of Germany at William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center on August 5, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 05: Kei Nishikori of Japan takes questions after his match with Alexander Zverev of Germany at William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center on August 5, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images) /
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Kei Nishikori plans to be in playing shape by December. It remains up in the air as to whether or not he can recover in time for Melbourne Park.

Kei Nishikori and his team are hopeful that he will be in playing shape by December.

It remains to be seen, however, just how far along the Japanese tennis player will be in his recovery come early 2018. The Japanese tennis star plans to be ready for play at Melbourne Park in mid-January.

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Fans and players alike will await an update on Nishikori’s progress come mid-December. He has been out of ATP World Tour action due to a wrist injury.

Several top players such as Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka have also withdrawn from the remainder of the 2017 ATP World Tour.

If Nishikori and others can make a healthy return by January, the field will be stacked for the Australian Open. The Japanese tennis star remains in search of his first ever Grand Slam singles title.

He has reached the quarterfinals three times at Melbourne Park. Nishikori also has a finals appearance at the US Open. In 2014, Nishikori dropped his US Open finals meeting with Marin Cilic in three sets. The 27-year-old has reached as high as No. 4 in the men’s singles rankings and is a contender in any tournament if healthy. His major tournament experience makes him a strong pick for any Grand Slam event.

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Kei Nishikori is registered to participate in ATP tournaments in both February and March of next year. While the 2018 Australian Open would be early in his return to ATP action, fans of the sport would love to see it happen.

The injury plagued 2017 ATP World Tour has left men’s singles without several top players. In their absence, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer continue on in search of an ATP Finals title. With just the Paris Masters between now and play in London, both Nadal and Federer are looking to close out the year in fine form. Stay tuned to see how Kei Nishikori progress in his recovery during this year’s offseason. Check back for updates on all of the ATP World Tour action at both the Paris Masters 1000 and the 2017 ATP Finals in London.

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