by Pete Bodo
(He) learned to live with extraordinary media attention but his celebrity reached new levels in September . . . From the moment the hotel lift doors opened and the new hero glided across the marble lobby, camera crews recorded his every move. Courtesy cars ferried him past billboards adorned with his face to and from the tournament site, where the clamor for footage and quotes was just as fierce. Each of his press conferences was standing room only and there were 24 requests for one-on-one interviews, sponsor functions and exhibition matches to attend. . .
- Deuce Magazine
This was not a description of Novak Djokovic's homecoming after he won the U.S. Open title, nor an observer's tribute to Rafael Nadal. The subject of this riff has been past the third round at a Grand Slam event just once in his career, and to date he's won exactly one match at a Masters 1000 event - and that's not this year, that's in his entire. . . career. A career during which he's won just one ATP tournament of any grade.
So why all the hubbub? Well, because Kei (pronounced "Kay") Nishikori comes from the wealthy, industrialized, tennis-mad nation of Japan and at the time the Deuce story appeared, in November of 2008, Nishikori was on the cusp of achieving the highest ranking ever posted by a Japanese. He needed to hit no. 45, one notch higher than the career-best ranking of Shuzo Matsuoka, the first Japanese in history to win an ATP event (1992, Seoul).
In 2008, it seemed like Nishikori was a lock to surpass Matsuoka's career-high ranking of no. 46, hence the year-long drive that was dubbed "Project 45" where Nishikori trained as a resident-student, the IMG Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. Early that year, Nishikori won his own maiden ATP title at Delray Beach, via resounding upsets of American players, Sam Querrey and James Blake. In August, he battled his way to the fourth round of the U.S. Open. Here's a good backgrounder, written in those halcyon days. Nishikori appeared to be on track to eclipse Matsuoka before or not long after he would celebrate his 19th birthday in December. But it didn't work out that way.
Not long after being named ATP Newcomer of the Year for 2008, Nishikori injured his elbow early in 2009 and missed three of the four Grand Slam events (he lost to Jurgen Melzer at the Australian Open). After climbing as high as no. 56, the inactive Nishikori plummeted no. 897 (March, 2010), but he soon began the long slog back into the top 100. He made the breakthrough in November of 2010. I revisited Nishikori in this piece, published early this year, as he climbed to his career-high ranking of no. 46 - equal to Matsuoka's best. He's slipped a notch since then, but at no. 47 he's still so close to completion of the long-deferred "Project 45" that Nishikori can probably taste it. If I'm not mistaken, he will taste it, soon enough. I believe the ranking points he'll earn this week, even if he doesn't win another match at Shanghai, will bump him up past the magic number.
Of course, that number is magic only in the parochial sense; I doubt that many Italians or Icelanders are obsessed with the number 45, or riveted on Nishikori's push to become the highest-ranked player ever to come from Japan. But I think everyone can relate to how Nishikori appears to have cleared that final hurdle - with a big win today over no. 8 (and the no. 4 seed in Shanghai), Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
In a way, this was a trademark Nishikori win - you could tell because its a long, drawn-out affair that underscored one of Nishikori's best and most consistent qualities - his stamina and willingness to fight any match to the bitter end. That combative talent is a useful asset. Nishikori's greatest shortcoming is his stature. He stands just 5-10 and weighs 150, and on this day he was giving up four inches of height and a full 50-plus pounds. While Nishikori's forehand can be effective when he really loads up, it isn't the kind of tool with which he can dictate against a top 10-grade player. He wins matches less because of how he hits the ball than where he puts it, which is first and foremost inside the lines. The rest is determined by his focus and determination.
