| October 2, 2024 | by Vivienne Christie |
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There was no panic when Kei Nishikori found himself down a set in his first-round match against Mariano Navone at the Rolex Shanghai Masters on Wednesday. The Japanese star had, after all, waited six long years to return to Asia's only ATP Masters 1000-level tournament.
And with the resilience that's also shaped his comeback to the tour after seasons-long absences due to well-documented injury challenges, Nishikori settled into the battle against Navone. After two hours and 17 minutes, the wildcard entrant emerged with a 3-6 6-4 6-3 win. "It means a lot, I really missed this tournament. It's been a long time," said Nishikori, a former Shanghai semifinalist who is contesting the tournament for the eighth time. "I always enjoy playing this week … and especially when the match is like this, I'm really, really happy."
Nishikori is especially happy to return to this level after health challenges, including a hip injury that required surgery in early 2023 and which kept him off the tour for the best part of two years.
"It's been tough. I mean honestly, it took a really long time to come back," admitted the former world No.4, who enjoyed a career high point as a finalist at the 2014 US Open. "I was like in and out. I felt like I almost came back but then I got an injury again and that happened like two or three times."
Amid those physical problems, Nishikori's mindset remained stronger than ever. "My motivation was always there. I always wanted to challenge with this these (top) guys especially," he said.
Nishikori has been soundly rewarded for that commitment in recent months. At the Montreal Masters in August, he defeated the higher-ranked Alex Michelsen before an upset of world No.11 Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Progress to the quarterfinals of last week's Japan Open, where he defeated Marin Cilic and Jordan Thompson, added further motivation in his return. "It was full of people in a big stadium," he smiled. "Really like a dream come true after getting two years injury, so that really gives me good vibes and good motivation."
David Goffin is equally pleased to return to winning form in Shanghai. With his ranking dipped outside the world's top 100 at that point, the former world No.7 was absent from the Rolex Shanghai Masters in 2023.
And yet the 33-year-old never doubted he could make a successful return, helping his straight-sets progress against James Duckworth in the 2024 first round. "The level was there before during practice, so then it started to be there in match," said Goffin, now returned to world No.66 following a semifinal run at Winston-Salem and third-round US Open campaign.
Each win is another valuable step forward in those players' modest but attainable goals.
For Nishikori, the first target is a return to the world's top 100. "And of course to get back to the top 50 (then), I don't know, top 10 but I don't see that right now," he added. "I'll go slowly."
Goffin notes he "still sees room for improvement", with a potential top-50 return. "That would be amazing to finish the year, but no pressure," he said.
Confidence in achieving those objectives is almost certainly helped by those players' recent success. Nishikori next faces Tsitsipas in Shanghai, reviving memories of his upset win over the Greek in Montreal.
"That match gave me a lot of confidence, you know, specially winning against someone like him," Nishikori commented on Wednesday. "So I try to enjoy again and I know it's not going to be easy, but I try to do my best." Goffin faces No.15 seed Lorenzo Musetti knowing that should he continue on his current trajectory, there are further positives ahead.
"I'm just happy (with) the way I'm playing, the way I'm feeling is the most important," smiled the Belgian, who became a father to baby daughter Emma just two weeks ago. "The goal is just to keep it going like that and try to play the same tennis, because I'm happy with the tennis I'm playing."
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