tennis

Nishikori needs French Open success to reignite career

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By Jack Tarrant

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I don't get the article's premise of Roland Garros being so important.

It's just another Grand Slam - and Nishikori's first since coming back from injury. There will be more of them this year and next too, for as long as Nishikori is playing.

And given Nishikori won't have a good seeding here, having missed the last two Grand Slams and a bunch of other tournaments over the past year, he's guaranteed to face a somewhat tough draw. If he were to achieve a big result, it'd be a simple case of bravo. On the other hand if he is drawn in Nadal's quarter and didn't make it past the 3rd of 4th round, that'd hardly cast a shadow on his career.

If anything his has been one of the better comebacks from the bunch of former top 10 players who have been dealing with injuries. He's beaten 3 of the current top 5 (Dimitrov, Cilic, Zverev) over the past month. (That after one expert here earlier this year claimed that it was a fact that Nishikori's career was already "done".)

I think Nishikori would have taken these results, just as Djokovic, also on the comeback, is probably pleased to have beaten Nishikori.

Nishikori's claycourt season has been hit so far despite the impressive showing at the Monte Carlo Masters

Looks like a typo, "despite" should be "highlighted by" or something similar.

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fxgai: "And given Nishikori won't have a good seeding here, having missed the last two Grand Slams and a bunch of other tournaments over the past year, he's guaranteed to face a somewhat tough draw."

Out come the excuses to prepare. You're right he'll face a tough draw, but that's because he's not as good as them, and it's his own fault he's not been playing well. Others with injuries have also suffered and come back with varying degrees of success. Nishikori has not. He's done, and it's time to face that fact. He did very well, and should be proud.

"(That after one expert here earlier this year claimed that it was a fact that Nishikori's career was already "done".)"

And yet here you are complaining about the draw, and how it's not fair, and making excuses. You wouldn't need to do that and then try to justify why he's not if he were not actually done. Doesn't mean he's the worst in men's tennis at all, but there's no way he's clawing his way back to the top.

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there's no way he's clawing his way back to the top.

Stop digging that hole. And since when did you ever concede he was at the top?

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and how it's not fair,

fxgai never said it wasn't "fair". They simply said that he'd probably face a tougher draw than he usually gets at tournaments like this, due to his lower ranking due to injury, and so this particular grand slam isn't necessarily make or break.

I have a hard time writing anyone's career off at the moment considering where Federer and Nadal are and where they both were in 2016

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Thanks RowanM, spot on.

I agree, while Nishikori isn’t and won’t ever be in the league of Nadal and Federer, both “the Greatest” in their own ways, I definitely see Nishikori working his way back into the top ten, based on his recent performances.

I cant see any logic behind claims that a guy who has beaten 3 of the top five over the past month, is “done”. (But I shouldn’t be looking for logic - a new definition of “done”, perhaps)

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fxgai: "Stop digging that hole. And since when did you ever concede he was at the top?"

A bit bitter? Plenty of times I've said he was a great player, and obviously amongst the top. I said he could not hold it, too, and was right again. There is no denying he was in the top five for some time -- not enough for you to save your tennis pride, which you bet on him time and again and lost, but he just doesn't have what many of the players who have won the grand slams numerous times do. This isn't a "with us or against us" thing, although you guys often try to turn it into one. He is good, but he will never be the best. Do you not understand that is not saying "he is the worst"? You still can't do anything but make excuses and defend him, while criticising others for saying it how it is.

"I agree, while Nishikori isn’t and won’t ever be in the league of Nadal and Federer"

And that's what all of us have been saying. I guess you need your ego stroked a little before admitting it.

"I cant see any logic behind claims that a guy who has beaten 3 of the top five over the past month, is “done”"

Well, let's see if your claim he'll make it into the top ten again holds true. Want a second mortgage on your tennis pride? :)

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And that's what all of us have been saying. I guess you need your ego stroked a little before admitting it.

I never suggestsed Nishikori was in the leagues of Nadal and Federer. So if that’s what your tits have been in a twist about for the last 3 seasons then it’s because your deluded yourself to think otherwise.

And I racked my brains but couldn’t think of a single thing to do with tennis you have ever been right about.

You had him beating Cilic for the US open (“and many more after that”), and the latest doozy was the “fact is that Nishikori is done” claim as he embarked on his comeback at the start of this season.

Both entirely and utterly wrong. So what were you ever right about?

you bet on him time and again

Wrong again. I bet only that one time he’d be number four after Roland Garros the year Wawrinka won (and gracefully acknowledged I didn’t get that right... by Wimbledon he was ranked four anyway but at well).

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Of course Nishikori's not done. Don't be silly.

He's still more than capable of winning Challenger and Master 250 tournaments. And 2019 could be his year. Hell, even 2018 could be his year (if we start from June).

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Pukey2: "He's still more than capable of winning Challenger and Master 250 tournaments. And 2019 could be his year. Hell, even 2018 could be his year (if we start from June)."

Agreed. Unless he saves his energy, or his opponents are too tall this time (they were shorter before, but sometimes they grow), or only Nishikori has to face his nemesis -- clay -- while nobody else has a hard time with it, or if the ball spins too much, etc.

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I don't get the article's premise of Roland Garros being so important.

It's just another Grand Slam

Well, might as well not play then. It's easy to say it's not important when you don't think you have a chance in hell of winning. Ask Federer. Oh, that's right, he's training for Wimbledon.

It's either this excuse of that excuse.

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Well, might as well not play then

Way to miss the point.

No doubt, a Grand Slam is an important tournament, but that's not the point.

The article's premise, that Roland Garros 2018 is Nishikori's chance to "make a good career great" is just completely wrong.

For argument's sake, assume Nishikori lost in the first round, but then in July won Wimbledon (again - that's for argument's sake, and I only bother to emphasize for the benefit of a few).

Would it be a case of - "sorry, but you needed to have success at that Roland Garros tourny, Nishikori - so sorry your career has not been improved"? It's ridiculous - a nincompoop might make such an argument. As for the the article's author / editor, I will give the benefit of the doubt and assume that he had to write an article like that to generate more reads.

Your comments about Federer's reasons for not playing on clay are rather ridiculous too, I hasten to add.

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Pukey2: "It's either this excuse of that excuse."

Exactly.

fxgai: "Way to miss the point."

Not really, when he pointed out that you were just making excuses and he's bang on.

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fxgai: "I never suggestsed Nishikori was in the leagues of Nadal and Federer. So if that’s what your tits have been in a twist about for the last 3 seasons then it’s because your deluded yourself to think otherwise."

Wow... any time I say tits or even quote someone who says it the post is removed for being vulgar or offensive, and yet here you are. Hell, you can't even say "panties in a twist" without it being removed.

And yes, you have said it; you've said it'll be Nishikori's year on a few occasions, then gotten pretty bitter about it when you had to repeat for the next year, and the next. I will grant you this -- your are more hesitant than before to say he'll do well; the problem is you bury any objectivity in a mountain of excuses.

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smithinjapan:

I will grant you this -- your are more hesitant than before to say he'll do well

I've noticed that too. Now, it's 'he just had a tough match so I don't expect him to win the next one'.

I don't know about New Zealand, but where I come from, we just say 'He wasn't good enough'.

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