Kei Nishikori makes his debut this week at the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open, looking for some much-needed confidence on the clay after a right wrist injury slowed his start on the European dirt.
The Japanese star was forced to withdraw from Barcelona, where he is a two-time former champion, due to the injury, and could not take the court against Novak Djokovic in the Madrid quarter-finals. His comeback in Rome was halted by Juan Martin del Potro in the third round.
So it is in search of matches and confidence that Nishikori competes as the second seed at this ATP World Tour 250 clay-court tournament, which is in its third year. Six of the Top 30 in the Emirates ATP Rankings are in contention, headlined by Swiss star and top seed Stan Wawrinka.
“It's great to have some matches here. Hopefully I can win the tournament. I think it's important to play well this week and get some confidence for next week. Hopefully I can win this tournament, but there's Stan and a couple of good guys, so it's going to be tough. Even if I don't win, I'll try to have a good couple of matches here and get ready for next week,” said Nishikori in his pre-tournament media on Sunday.
The 27-year-old Nishikori has enjoyed the majority of his success on hard courts, winning nine of his 11 ATP World Tour crowns on the cement. But the right-hander is coached by 1989 Roland Garros champion Michael Chang, together with Argentine Dante Bottini, and believes his clay-court game is ever improving under their tutelage.
“Clay suits my tennis. I can use many different shots," said Nishikori. "I used to really like clay when I was a junior, but when I turned pro I kind of knew how tough it was to play on clay with the top level guys. But now I have more confidence playing on clay and I think I can play really good on clay with my tennis. I really like to play on this surface now.
“[Chang] is giving me a lot of good tips on the clay court. Michael and Dante are helping me play on clay. For sure it's getting better. I think every year I have better results.”
Nishikori will open his Geneva campaign against Mikhail Kukushkin or a qualifier, following a first-round bye.