"I don't want to play Nadal or Djokovic early" - Nishikori on goals for 2022

Kei Nishikori is patiently working his way to full health as he hopes to return in 2022 and quickly improve in the rankings.

The Japanese player has battled so many injuries in his career and is yet to play meaningful tennis this year. He hopes to recover quickly and continue playing with a clear goal of improving on the rankings. It's a practical goal as well because the better seeded you are at an event the less likely you are going to face some of the best in the world as well.

He explained:

"As I said earlier, first of all, I want to return to the ranking so far. First, I still have some goals so that I can return to the top 10, but eventually I will return to that position. So that I can fight in the second half of the tournament instead of the current (Rafael) Nadal or (Novak) Djokovic in the first round. It is a big feeling that I want to return to that place again."

As you can tell above Nishikori is highly motivated and one should not doubt him. Not many tennis players would have been able to battle so many injuries and still have a meaningful career. Asked when he hopes to return he said:

"If all goes well, I might be able to play the US Open this year. I’m trying to be ready in time for the Rakuten Japan Open in October if it is held this year. I don’t think I have ten more years in my tennis career, so I want to live each day to the fullest."