Unfortunately will not be able to play the Stanford Challenger next week. My knee is not 100% healed yet. I want to thank the tournament for the offer and I will continue to work hard to get back on tour.
"My knee is not 100% healed yet": Kei Nishikori forced to withdraw from Stanford Challenger after extending recovery period ahead of US Open
Tennis NewsFriday, 11 August 2023 at 15:18
Kei Nishikori has announced his withdrawal from the upcoming Stanford Challenger due to a knee injury he suffered at the Atlanta Open, extending his recovery period ahead of the US Open.
Former world No. 4 Nishikori has had a difficult time over the last year and a half. In January 2022, the Japanese player announced that he would be undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left hip, with the aim of returning to the court in about six months.
However, a foot injury delayed his planned return at the 2023 Australian Open, and instead, Nishikori did not play again until the 2023 Caribbean Open in June.
Nishikori faces more heartbreaking setbacks
Unfortunately, just a few weeks after his comeback, the 33-year-old suffered a knee injury at the Atlanta Open, which was his first ATP tournament since 2021.
This forced Nishikori to miss the DC Open in Washington last week, and then the currently ongoing National Bank Canadian Open in Toronto. When announcing his withdrawal from the former, the player made a statement, reading:
"I was having knee pain left from last week and it got a little bit worse after [my] first match last week."
"I was trying to play a couple more matches. It was okay, but hurting more, more and more. So I tried to play today, but I was not good enough to play. So unfortunately, I have to withdraw. I’m very disappointed because I always play good here.
"Good memories and good crowd. I always enjoy playing this week. But this is what it is, and I've got to keep climbing because I just started playing again and I know my body is not 100 per cent strong enough to play many matches.
"I think these things happen [in the] first couple months [back], but big tournaments are coming up. So I [will try] to be ready for that."
Nishikori announced his most recent withdrawal on Twitter:
"Unfortunately will not be able to play the Stanford Challenger next week. My knee is not 100% healed yet. I want to thank the tournament for the offer and I will continue to work hard to get back on tour," he wrote.
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