Kei Nishikori offers brutal assessment after DC Open defeat: "I couldn't even put the ball in the court, it was almost funny"

Kei Nishikori had a tall order to defeat the inform and dangerous Rafael Jodar at the DC Open. It would turn out that the task was too much for the 36-year-old who would succumb to a 6-3, 6-2 defeat, ending his ATP Tour return but he vows that he will not end his tennis career with a result like that.

The former US Open finalist played his first ATP match for almost a year after appearing in the 2025 Cincinnati Open. He has always been a recognisable player on court following a lengthy period as one of the best tennis players in the world but as time has went on, he has slowly fallen down the order and is a seldom seen character on the ATP Tour. Now set to retire at the end of the campaign, time is running out.

That made his DC Open appearance all the more special and eye-catching. Regularly competing on the Challenger Tour amid a number of injury issues, he used his wildcard very effectively after making it into the second round following a 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 win over Juncheon Shang.

Jodar was a huge step up in level, and would be too tough for the former world number four who would see his tournament end. He had the first chances to break in the very first game but could not convert. These were important as Jodar later took the advantage and sailed into a one-set lead.

He backed that up with a double break to move 4-1 in the second set. The end was near for Nishikori who could not mount a satisfactory challenge to the impressive 19-year-old who saw it out with ease to confirm another quarter-final appearance in 2026.

Nishikori was very honest about his performance, not holding back in lamenting himself after what was a completely contrasting showing compared to what he had been putting in on the practice court.

"I couldn't even put the ball in the court, it was almost funny," he said in his press conference. "This is exactly the kind of match I've been experiencing since my return. I hit the ball very well in practice, but in matches, I can't do it anymore."

The Japanese was determined not to make this his final match. "At the end of the match, I told myself: 'I can't retire if this was my last match.' If I ended my career like that, I might even end up hating tennis."

With the US Open and Asian swing soon coming up, Nishikori could still get some wildcards for those upcoming tournaments, maybe even the Japan Open on home soil to end his majestic career with a bang and a positive showing. In tennis, it is likely that you are going to end your career with a defeat unless you win a tournament.

Back to the match, and he did not believe he was out-classed by his opponent, a promising sign. "It may sound presumptuous, but I didn't feel like my opponent was too fast or that he constantly forced me to defend, as was sometimes the case last year."

He had so many interruptions over the past few years down to injuries which have ravaged his career at the top shorter than he would have wanted. He wants more match time against the top players in the world to get him back in the groove. "I just have to get used to playing against Top 30 or Top 50 players again."