"I usually get really depressed" says Kei Nishikori on injury struggles

Kei Nishikori is one of the best tennis players in the world when fully healthy but that has rarely been the case. Rafael Nadal fondly spoke about Nishikori remembering him as one of the toughest opponents to beat while also recognizing his many struggles with injury. Nishikori himself admitted that his struggles affect him deeply saying:

"I've never wanted to stop playing though I'm always feeling like it's tough, yeah I often feel it's tough, I'm not in the mood, I hate it... but I've been somehow escaping retirement."

Nishikori futher said that it tends to leave him depressed because of it:

"I usually get deeply depressed for a while, at the moment that I get injured or I'm told about surgery, but after that, I somehow come back because I still have motivation and passion for playing tennis again."

The Japanese player is working hard to be ready for the start of the 2022 season in Australia and the early prognosis says he should be ready and good to go. He also shared some advice for younger people playing tennis saying:

"Enjoy it, you'll realize how important it is to enjoy as you get older. You might want to quit at some point, but after getting through that you can be filled with happiness (of playing). It would be nice to learn how to overcome tough times while you're young. If I reach the top, no.1, I think that encourages them (younger players) to believe that they can also achieve (things like that), and promotes tennis. For that I'll try to show them myself trying hard."