Another day, another withdrawal as Nishikori out of US Open

Kei Nishikori is once again facing physical issues and has withdrawn from the 2023 US Open.

The former world No. 4 was preparing for his return to a Grand Slam after receiving a wild card from the US Open organizers. The Japanese tennis player has endured difficult years due to injuries, and in recent months, he was gradually regaining his rhythm to make a comeback to competition.

Nishikori demonstrated that he still possesses the level to be competitive on the ATP tour. In his first tournament back, the Palmas del Mar Challenger, he emerged as the champion after not playing for two years.

At the end of July, he participated in the Atlanta Open, his first ATP-level tournament post-injury. He secured victories over Jordan Thompson and Shang Juncheng but fell in the quarterfinals to the top seed, Taylor Fritz.

Nishikori was scheduled to play again the following week in the Washington Open but announced his withdrawal shortly before the tournament's start. It has now been confirmed that he will not be participating in the US Open, and his return to a Grand Slam will have to wait until at least 2024.

Flushing Meadows has been the site of Nishikori's best results in a Grand Slam, having reached the semifinals twice (2016, 2018) and the final in 2014, where he lost to Marin Cilic with a score of 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.

At 33 years old, Nishikori is currently ranked world No. 353, and it remains uncertain when he might make his return to the courts.

His absence from the tournament allows Australian player James Duckworth to enter as a Lucky Loser after losing in the final round of the qualifiers to Timofey Skatov

In his debut, Duckworth is set to face the Brazilian player Felipe Meligeni Alves, who advanced through the qualifiers by defeating the third seed Federico Coria in the third round.