Nishikori makes progress in Rotterdam but falls to Coric in quarterfinals

Kei Nishikori’s week at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament came to an end with a 7-6(2), 7-6(4) loss to Borna Coric during quarterfinal action on Friday night. A competitive contest from start to finish saw Coric prevail in one hour and 59 minutes.

“It was really, really close, the Croat commented. “I was serving very well, but he is one of the best returners on tour so I needed to do a lot of running. It was a bit tiring. But in the end it was a really good match.”

Despite the loss, it was a good performance overall in Rotterdam for Nishikori. It marked his first quarterfinal appearance since Wimbledon in 2019 and the first time he won back-to-back matches at a tournament since the 2019 U.S. Open. Before falling to Coric, the world No. 45 from Japan scored impressive victories over Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alex de Minaur.

Following his defeat of de Minaur, Nishikori confirmed that he has been working especially hard on his serve for more than a year now with coaches Max Mirnyi and Michael Chang. The 31-year-old is trying to get more power while also relieving pressure on his shoulder in hopes of avoiding injury. 

“I [made a change in my service motion] after elbow surgery (in October 2019) and last December,” Nishikori explained in an interview with the ATP. “I was working with Max, Michael, and a Japanese coach, as well. I tried to look again with my serve and I needed more power but less use of my shoulder. I was hurting my shoulder, too, last year.

“I don’t feel 100 percent yet, but I think it’s on the way. I was hitting good serves the past two matches, so I’m happy with my serve now.

“Because of my history of injury, I feel like I still need to change something. I’m really open to anything. Of course it’s not easy; it’s going to take some time. I still feel like it’s not there yet. But for my body, I will do anything that makes it better.”

Nishikori’s next scheduled events are Marseile and Dubai, while Coric awaits either Tommy Paul or Marton Fucsovics in the Rotterdam semifinals. The other semi pits Stefanos Tsitsipas against Andrey Rublev.