After withdrawing from Citi Open, Kei Nishikori, the former world number four and US Open finalist, has also removed himself from contention for the upcoming Canadian Open in Toronto. The Japanese star, who has been plagued by injuries in the past few years, announced his decision on Friday, August 4.
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Nishikori, who is currently ranked 353rd in the world, recently made his comeback to the ATP Tour after a 20-month absence. He had undergone hip surgery in January 2022 and suffered a complicated ankle sprain in October 2022 that delayed his return.
”I was having knee pain left from last week and it got a little bit worse after [my] first match last week,” Nishikori said while withdrawing from the Citi Open, “I was trying to play a couple more matches. It was okay, but hurting more, more and more. So I tried to play today, but I was not good enough to play. So, unfortunately, I have to withdraw.”
Kei Nishikori played his first tour-level match since October 2021 at the Atlanta Open in July 2023, where he reached the quarterfinals before losing to Taylor Fritz. He then played at the Washington Open but pulled out before his first-round match due to a left knee injury.
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Nishikori was scheduled to compete in his first Masters 1000 event following his comeback and his first 1000 series match after losing to Dan Evans in the opening round of the 2021 Indian Wells Open at the 2023 Canadian Open. Brandon Nakashima is next on the entry list, waiting for another withdrawal, and will take Nishikori's place in the main draw in place of Mackenzie McDonald.
