"The root of my motivation is the joy of playing" says Nishikori as he prepares for another comeback

Nishikori has not played for quite some time after several injuries completely derailed his end to the 2021 season. Nishikori had hoped to play at least in Paris for the Rolex Masters but he was not able to do so. He was set to play in Stockholm one week later but once again was forced to abandon that plan due to back issues.

In the meantime, he became a father which was very joyful news for the Japanese player but besides that, he is also working very hard to be ready for the 2022 season. In a recent interview, Nishikori confirmed her still feels joy playing tennis and that is his main motivation:

"The root of my motivation is, the joy (of playing) has not declined yet. It sums up everything. Sometimes I feel tiredness, but I'm never tired of tennis. I can still enjoy in some way, think that good balance is still going on."