Having dropped out just days before the French Open, Kei Nishikori recently got the bad news that he will also miss Wimbledon next month.
Nishikori, the highest ranking Japanese in men’s tennis, has a small stress fracture in his right elbow and will be out of action for two to three months, it was revealed Monday.
“I was really shocked,” Nishikori said at a press conference in Tokyo. “All I can do now is rest for two or three months.
“I can’t decide now what tournament I can enter next, but for now I’m aiming for the U.S. Open,” which starts Aug. 31.
The 19-year-old Nishikori underwent an MRI on his elbow Wednesday in New York that revealed the extent of the injury that he first suffered in January and has plagued him since.
“This is the biggest injury [of my career] and I’ll be out longer than I expected,” Nishikori said. “My rank will keep falling and I can’t do anything about it, so it’s very disappointing.”
Nishikori, who left Japan to attend the noted Bollettieri Academy in Florida at age 14, has dropped to 116 in the ATP rankings since starting the year at 61 and reaching a career-high 56th in early February.
Nishikori, who last year became the first Japanese to win an ATP tournament in 16 years, last played at the ATP Masters in Indian Wells in mid-March, losing in the first round to Ivan Ljubicic. He has a 4-6 record for the year.
With the pain failing to subside, the Shimane Prefecture native embarked on an eight-week rehabilitation program, which included strengthening his shoulder to lessen the burden on his elbow.
But the pain never fully went away and Nishikori went to see Dr. David Alcheck, who often treats pro athletes in the New York area and discovered the small but deep fracture.
Nishikori said he can play pain-free for one set, but the potential strain of playing a five-set match at a Grand Slam event led him to withdraw from the French Open, which started Sunday.
While disappointed, Nishikori also sees a positive side to his extended layoff.
“This will be a hardship, but I’ll look forward to playing again that much more,” he said. “I’ll also rest mentally so I can come back at more than 100 percent.”
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