Nishikori defends players choice on vaccination while also accepting Australian Open vaccine mandate

Kei Nishikori is accepting of the Australian Open vaccine mandate saying that players need to follow the rule while also believing each player should be able to choose whether to get vaccinated.

Kei Nishikori won his first match at the BNP Paribas Open but his streak ended in the 2nd round against Dan Evans. The Japanese player said after his 1st round win that he was glad to win the match becuase the conditions don't quite suit him:

"Surface is fast in many tournaments these days while slow here (like every other year), that makes it difficult to hit winners. Hope the more I get used to the condition, the better I feel."

In the 2nd match, some of those struggles have been pronounced especially against Evans who is an excellent defensive player. Nishikori also had issues with his left foot that required a MTO. In the end, he lost in 3 sets but one day earlier he spoke about vaccines because it's the hot topic in the tennis world.

Asked about vaccines and the Australian Open mandate for players, Nishikori responded with:

"We have to follow the rule and I've already got vaccinated, but I think vaccination doesn't always have to be the case. You can feel sick or even get into danger due to a vaccine, so we should be careful."

It's a very honest answer by Nishikori who continued by explaining his stance further:

"We tennis players are travelling around the world, so it would be better for us to get a vaccine, but there are some risks, I heard what happened to Chardy. It should be left to individual decision."