Kei Nishikori - A Samurai from the Land of the Rising Sun

Kei Nishikori of Japan after celebrating his victory into the club’s pool after his victory against Santiago Giraldo of Colombia after day eight of the ATP Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona on April 27, 2014 in Barcelona, Spain.

After beating Santiago Giraldo, Kei Nishikori lifted his first ATP Clay court title. He was a surprise champion in the end. His performance throughout the tournament raised a lot of eyebrows. He didn’t lose even a single set at the Barcelona Open. He never faced a tie-break either. The final was one way traffic. With this win, the Japanese star jumped to 12th spot in the ATP rankings.

It was Nishikori’s 5th ATP career title and his second title of the year. Earlier, he lifted the U S Indoor Tennis trophy after defeating Ivo Karlovic. Nishikori became the first non-Spanish player to win the Barcelona Open since 1996. Nadal has won it on 8 occasions, which is a record.

He was named ATP Newcomer of the Year in 2008. Nishikori made international headlines in 2013 at the Madrid Masters when he defeated Roger Federer in the third round. He caused another upset victory over the Swiss at the Miami masters at the quarter-final stage this year.

Unlike other successful tennis players, Kei is not very tall (he is only 5’10’’ tall). He is not a big server and his serves seldom cross the 200 kph barrier. He avoids risky shots like the drop shots and approaches the net only when he is sure of winning the points. But his USP lies elsewhere. He is a pusher of the ball. He loves to play long rallies and believes in frustrating the opponent. Most of his shots drop at the base line which allow him to dictate terms in the rallies. He doesn’t create unexpected angles on the shots, but his placement of the ball is simply superb. He remains fresh in long matches and keeps up his never-say-die attitude throughout the game.

Kei is a fighter just like his coach Michael Chang. He showed glimpses of it in defeating David Ferrer at the Miami Masters this year where he saved four match points against the beast and won in three tight sets in the quarter-finals. That was his 11th win over a top 10 player on the ATP circuit in his career.

After Shuzo Matsuoka, Kei is the latest tennis sensation from Japan. Shuzo in his days defeated Pete Sampras in three tough sets at the Montreal Masters in 1992. Kei already has caused enough upset wins. Kei is not just a flag bearer for Japan, but also for the whole of Asia. After Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand, he is on the verge of entering the top 10 club. May the Samurai rise from the land of the rising sun.