By Cheryl Jones
One good thing that Kei Nishikori can say after today’s Round of 16 match at the Gerry Weber Open is that he managed to complete the match with no debilitating injuries. The bad thing is that the man from Japan who was seeded number seven here in Halle, lost to Russian player, Karen Khachanov, in an hour and eighteen minutes, 6-2, 6-2.
Nishikori has run into a spate of bad luck in recent years when he has been competing in the spectacular German “grass” tournament that is contested in the small town of Halle. The village is nestled in the countryside that is filled with fields of corn and peppered with small towns that sprout up here and there surrounding the larger town of Bielefeld. It is a university city located near Dortmund in one direction and Hannover in another. Last year, Nishikori met Khachanov in the second round as he did today, and he had to retire due to a left hip injury. His 2015 and ’16 tournaments were impacted by injuries as well. Evidently, he isn’t easily deterred, because he keeps coming back.
Watching the man, who several years ago became the highest ranked Asian player in history when he was ranked number 4 during 2015, was disheartening. He appeared focused on the match, but couldn’t quite keep up with Khachanov. In the first round, he had faced a German Qualifier, Matthias Bachinger. He should have sailed through that match, and even though he prevailed (6-3, 7-6) it shouldn’t have been that tough for him to defeat a player ranked 159.
Nishikori is coached by an Argentine, Dante Bottini who has been with him since 2010. Michael Chang, a former American player who had a miraculous win at Roland Garros when he was a mere 17 years old, works with Bottini and Nishikori, offering advice all year round, but is an “on the scene” coach twenty weeks each year. Chang joined Nishikori 2014. It might be time to take another look at their plans and move in another direction.
Khachanov is ranked thirty-six in the world now. He is a mere twenty-two years old, and he has been a tennis player most of his life, having been introduced to the game when he was three years old. He played steady tennis today. He managed seven aces to Nishikori’s none. He looked like a winner from first ball to last, and it appeared that Nishikori knew that. After the match, Nishikori said, I think I made so many mistakes and I think today, I couldn’t make good serves and also I should have tried to stay a little bit more on the baseline. I think that all the mistakes were from me.” His overview seemed honest and the statistics are all there to back that up.
Khachanov has said that his idols were fellow Russian Marat Safin and Argentine, Juan Martin del Potro. His demeanour on the court isn’t remotely Safin-like. (Long time fans may remember an incident at Roland Garros where he dropped his shorts to the ground and displayed his tight-y whiteys to protest a call that he didn’t like. He was docked a point for the display that was more comical than indiscreet, and left the crowd giggling in response.) Khachanov, on the other hand, is a straight up player who will face Spaniard, Roberto Bautista Agut in the next round in Halle.
The Russian has shown that his bag isn’t just filled with racquets and balls. His play is solid and he has won two 250 ATP events, along with numerous Challenger and Futures contests. After watching him in Halle last year, it is clear that he is a player to keep an eye on. He’s a man with a name mostly associated with women, but he plays at a pace that should lead him to the top of the heap in Men’s Tennis.
