Kei Nishikori’s tennis return spoiled by loss to Austrian challenger

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Former world no. 4 male tennis player Kei Nishikori made a successful return to professional tennis but his goal of pushing himself to the later rounds got cut by Sebastian Ofner of Austria- 6.3, 6.4- in the ongoing Miami Open on March 22, 2024.

After being inactive in the sport for almost a year due to several injuries, Nishikori made his grand comeback after receiving a wild card entry in the ATP major event.

However, the busier Ofner handed Nishikori a sweeping loss in straight sets and will be advancing to the next round of the Miami Open.

Despite turning back the hands of time with his signature baseline craftiness, it was evident that the Japanese superstar still had a lot of catching up to do as Ofner cruised past him with ease.

Aside from his unforced errors that kept on rewarding Ofner with freebies, Nishikori’s endurance was also questioned the whole game. After a decent hitting percentage in the first set, the Japanese ace began to slow down in the last frame.

Ofner put on a show with his laser-sharp service game, tallying nine total service aces while wrapping up the win with an impressive 81%-win rate on his first serve.

The Austrian also dominated the offensive department as he registered a total of 67 points won, 21 receiving points won, and 46 service points won.

“I never lose that motivation. It’s always there. Some reason I cannot explain, but some reason motivation is always there. I’m looking forward to getting my tennis back. Maybe it’s not going to be soon, but I will keep fighting,” said Nishikori during his post-match press conference.