"I wanted to be a penguin" - Kei Nishikori on what he wanted to be while growing up

Former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori recently gave a hilarious response when asked what he wanted to be as a kid.

At this week's ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, the players were asked a series of questions by kids, including what they wanted to be while growing up. While Andy Murray, Alexander Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime revealed they always wanted to be tennis players, Daniil Medvedev gave a variety of answers - an astronaut, a soccer player and a tennis player.

But Kei Nishikori sheepishly admitted that he grew up wanting to be 'a penguin'.

"It's a little bit embarrassing to say, but... I wanted to be a penguin," Nishikori said. "I don't know. They look so cute. I just wanted to be a penguin."

The video clip of the players giving their answers can be seen below:

Maybe the best KidsDay video ever.... 😂😂😂#ATPTour @abnamrowtt @Jan_Kooijman @steftsitsipas @AlexZverev @andy_murray @keinishikori @felixtennis @DaniilMedwed pic.twitter.com/1Zqid2WT4W

— Richard Krajicek (@RichardKrajicek) March 5, 2021

The organizers of the exercise also caught Murray's reaction to Nishikori's revelation; the Scot was expectedly baffled by it.

"He wanted to be a penguin?" Murray exclaimed. "That's a good answer. Strange but good."

The other questions posed to the players were about their first kiss, their favorite pop star and the last time they cried.

I think we need him: Kei Nishikori on Andy Murray's comeback

Kei Nishikori congratulates Andy Murray after their quarterfinal match at the 2017 French Open

Kei Nishikori and Andy Murray have had incredible battles on the tennis court over the years. The pair have met 11 times on the ATP Tour, with Murray leading the head-to-head series 9-2.

Earlier this week in Rotterdam, Murray revealed that every loss during his latest comeback brings up the inevitable question about his retirement.

'Every time I lose a match I'm getting told to retire, and that I'm finished'When the going gets tough, @andy_murray's gonna get going 💪#abnamrowtt pic.twitter.com/642vtlQmvr

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 2, 2021

Murray scored a tough straight-sets win over Robin Haase in the first round, before going down to World No. 8 Andrey Rublev in straight sets on Thursday. But Kei Nishikori, who is a big fan of the two-time Wimbledon champion, came to Murray's defense.

The Japanese player, who is on the comeback trail himself, claimed that tennis needs Murray and that only the Scot should decide when to retire.

"It’s a little bit stupid to ask him when he’s going to retire because that’s something he’s going to decide," Nishikori said. "He’s the only one, he knows how he feels about the body. He’s not in the best shape yet, the way he’s moving right now, but I hope he can come back."

"He’s my favorite player and we had many battles," the Japanese added. "I’m hoping he can come back to top 10 again and top 5. I think we need him."