Dream return for Nishikori, seals Challenger title in Puerto Rico

Former top 10 player Kei Nishikori hasn't been on a tennis court in two years but his first return immediately won him a trophy, first in years as well.

Nishikori was once a superb player reaching a pretty high ranking at one point. He also stood in a grand slam final though failed to win against Marin Cilic at the US Open many years ago. The Japanese player is known as one of the cleanest ball strikers on the Tour and he showcased all of that talent upon his return at the Puerto Rico Challenger where he cruised past most of his opponents to take the trophy.

He was looking better and better with every match which is why the final was another simple match in two sets. It's a good return for Nishikori as he pushed it back many times leaving fans in doubt about whether something is going on. The reality of the situation was that he simply waited for the perfect time to come back and that proved to be a great decision because he looked like he didn't miss a day on Tour.

To be fair most of those players that he faced are not exactly top-100 material but still playing this well after missing two years of action is still great. The proper test will be once he starts playing among the better players which should happen when the ATP Tour shifts to North America later this year.

The trophy is his first ATP trophy since 2018 which is another great thing for the 33-year whose career was left in doubt after her underwent arthroscopic hip surgery last year. It's been a long time coming but fans will be happy about getting Nishikori back on the Tour. Andy Murray congratulated him on Twitter and we agree. Welcome back Kei !