Former World No.4 Kei Nishikori has been on the long road to rehabilitation due to a hi injury, and the time away from tennis caused the Japanese star to consider retirement.

Nishikori last won a tour-level singles title back in 2019 at the Brisbane Open, the 12th of his career. The 33-year old has since been plagued by injuries, at one point missing over a year and a half on tour.

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A chance meeting with Federer inspired Nishikori's comeback

During his recuperation, Nishikori attended a 'UNIQLO LifeWear Day Tokyo 2022 with Roger Federer' event in November, 2022. The 2014 US Open champion revealed he crossed paths with the 20-time Grand Slam champion, who inspired him to keep working at making a comeback as the Japanese star was considering hanging up his racket.

"I have been very depressed in the last few months, I even thought about retiring," Nishikori admitted, as per Punto de Break. "From July to September I was in rehabilitation at home. It's three months when I can't play tennis, I can't even take a racket. Mentally, it's very complicated. Of course, I've been on the verge of retirement.

"When I saw Roger, I finally thought that I can continue playing tennis over 30 years of age."