"My first ATP tournament back" - Kei Nishikori "excited" to make his ATP return at Atlanta Open 2023

Kei Nishikori recently announced that he will return to the ATP Tour at the 2023 Atlanta Open. The tournament is set to take place between July 24 and July 30.

Nishikori had planned to make a comeback to the ATP Tour multiple times earlier this year. However, the Japanese was forced to repeatedly postpone his return due to unforeseen setbacks in his comeback attempts.

The 33-year old underwent arthroscopic left hip surgery in January 2022 and has since been on the road to recovery with the goal of returning to the ATP Tour. Nishikori disclosed that his hip bones required trimming during the procedure.

"My bones have been deformed in hip and elbow, I needed surgery to trim the bones otherwise I feel pain, so (what happened) was inevitable. I never think about what I should have done (with these injuries), I know it's an unanswered question," he said in an interview with Nikkan Sports.

Nishikori recently took to social media to announce his highly anticipated comeback on the ATP Tour at the 2023 Atlanta Open. The former World No. 4 expressed his enthusiasm for returning to the court and competing once again.

"Excited to go on Friday to the @ATLOpenTennis! It will be my first @atptour back. Hope to see you there," Nishikori tweeted.

The ATP 250 tournament in Atlanta will also feature defending champion Alex de Minaur, along with Taylor Fritz, John Isner, and Ben Shelton among others.

"I've been very depressed, I even thought about retiring" - Kei Nishikori

Kei Nishikori at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships

During an interview conducted late last year, Kei Nishikori revealed the profound mental anguish he experienced while striving to make a comeback to the sport. He openly admitted to battling severe depression, to the point where he even contemplated retirement.

"I have been very depressed in the last few months. I even thought about retiring. From July to September, I was in rehabilitation at home. It's three months when I can't play tennis. I can't even take a racquet. Mentally, it's very complicated. Of course, I've been on the verge of retirement," Nishikori said.

At the time, Nishikori had hoped to regain full fitness by January or February of 2023 and resume playing on the main tour before the clay season. However, his plans did not unfold as expected.

The 33-year-old credited Roger Federer as a significant source of inspiration, motivating him to persist in his tennis career despite facing numerous setbacks.

"When I saw Roger, I finally thought that I can continue playing tennis over 30 years of age," he stated.

Kei Nishikori has been plagued by injuries throughout his career. In 2017, he endured a severe wrist injury that forced him to take a prolonged hiatus from the game.