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Kei Nishikori made a dream comeback to the ATP Tour after 20 months away at the 2023 Atlanta Open as he won his first-round match in straight sets.
Nishikori, who entered the main draw in Atlanta via protected ranking, was up against Jordan Thompson of Australia in the first round. The match was grueling, with both sets going to a tiebreaker. Both players showcased their impeccable serving and were not broken even once throughout the match. Nishikori managed to edge past his 63rd ranked opponent 7-6(5), 7-6(5).
In his on-court interview after the triumph, Nishikori was realistic about his ambitions. The 33-year-old said that he is not setting any long-term and lofty goals and taking it one match at a time. His aim in Atlanta is to gain confidence by playing against higher-ranked players as he comes back to the tour after a prolonged spell on the sidelines.
"No, there are no goals. Just trying to play one match at a time and try to win this kind of tough match. I just need more confidence to play with top players," he remarked.
Nishikori will next face either the No. 6 seed and World No. 41 Ben Shelton or qualifier Juncheng Shang of China in the second round of the 250 tournament. World No. 9 Taylor Fritz is the top seed at the event. Alex de Minaur, the 2022 Atlanta champion, is also returning to defend his title and is seeded second.
The match against Thompson was Nishikori's first on the ATP Tour since October 2021, when he lost to Dan Evans in the second round of the Indian Wells Open. The former World No. 4 had been recovering from hip surgery since then. His plans to return to the ATP Tour earlier this year were delayed multiple times due to situations beyond his control.
Kei Nishikori entered Atlanta Open after winning Challenger title in Puerto Rico
Before starting his campaign in Atlanta, Kei Nishikori played multiple Challenger level tournaments. His first was the Palmas del Mar Challenger in Puerto Rico in June, which he won comprehensively, dropping only one set in the entire tournament. The triumph was even more special as this was Nishikori's first tournament at any level since 2021.
The 2014 US Open finalist then competed at two Challenger tournaments in the US in Bloomfield Hills and Chicago. Nishikori won eight matches in these three events and was high on confidence coming into the Atlanta Open.
Kei Nishikori previously played at the Atlanta Open in 2012. He was the third seed at the time and reached the quarterfinals of the tournament. The 33-year-old last won a title on the ATP Tour at the 2019 Brisbane International, defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final.
