Kei Nishikori has arrived back in Japan following his first Grand Slam final at the U.S. Open.
The 24-year-old was greeted by the chair of the Japanese tennis federation and a crowd of fans. With his goal of breaking into the Top 10 now achieved, Nishikori is next targeting a Grand Slam victory.
“The frustration of losing the final was big, but it marked my taking a big step in my tennis career,” he said. “I feel I am just a little bit closer to achieving my dream of becoming No. 1 in the world.”
Not only did Nishikori reach the final, he did it by playing two four-hour matches and defeating three Top 10 players—Milos Raonic, Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic—in succession.
"It gave me confidence that I could endure physically and through it all, play my kind of game," Nishikori said.