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BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL PRESENTED BY SUNCORP

January 4, 2017

Kei Nishikori

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

K. NISHIKORI/J. Donaldson

4-6, 6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. A bit of a fight out there with a young player. You had a couple of close moments. How do you feel you came through your first match of the season?
KEI NISHIKORI: Well, yeah. Actually, I had a great start today until 4-Love, and then I had one bad game after 4-Love. He start playing better. I think it's a matter of my concentration a little bit. And, yeah, after that he start playing much better.

He start playing more aggressive, and his forehand was on fire today. He was hitting a lot of winners from that side.

Yeah, it was really close. Even the second set it was really close. He had many chance to win a set and win the match, so, I mean, finally, I think, in the last set I start playing like first couple of games and start dominating a little more and start playing a little more aggressive.

Q. When you get to 4-Love in the first set and it's the first match of the season for you, is it a matter of purely concentration, or are you trying to sort of try out different techniques and things that you have been working on during the break?
KEI NISHIKORI: No. No, I think it's a matter of my concentrating, and I think it's more mental thing today, because I was playing really solid tennis first couple games.

Somehow I lost it a little bit, and then he was more confident. He was having good rhythm with his serve. I mean, yeah, it mostly my fault to lost the first set.

Q. You have been a semifinalist many times. Do you think this is the year that you want to win this title, or are you more concerned about preparing for the Australian Open?
KEI NISHIKORI: Well, I'm always hoping to win the title. I think I never been to final, so that's, I think, my goal to get to Sunday this week.

But I think it's more important stay healthy and play good tennis here and play as many matches as I can so I can get used to these kind of, you know, real match. I hope I can do well this week.

Q. The cool weather, overcast conditions, making it a little bit harder for your preparation for Melbourne? It's not what you would expect coming into this time of year.
KEI NISHIKORI: No, it's all good. I think it's better, little cooler. It was really windy today, so it wasn't easy in the match.

Yeah, for me, it's much better this weather today.

Q. Off the game today, and I realize we can switch to Japanese, I'm just asking players, generally, not anyone in particular, considering what happened at the start of the last Australian Open where match fixing became a big issue, but the cases that were in the reports seemed to be old, it was a catalyst for a lot of anxiety and a lot of reforms in tennis at ground security. Have you seen any changes at the tournament level between the Australian Open last year and this year? Is it more obvious security, or is it anything you have noticed?
KEI NISHIKORI: No, I don't see any changes, I mean, because I never heard anything and I don't know if it's real or not. I never heard any story, so, I mean, for me, I have no idea what's going on.

I mean, it's in the paper, but, you know, I never heard any real story. So I cannot judge from any, you know, other news.

Yeah, I don't see any difference. I mean, for me, I just play 100%, put on my hard work on the court, so, yeah, I mean, for me, I'm not sure.

Q. So you haven't noticed like the ATP or the ITF sort of doing more education with the younger players or people on the challenger circuit trying to target that as an issue?
KEI NISHIKORI: Well, for sure, that ATP or WTA, they will, you know, teach them, especially young people. Yeah, I had a little bit study, too, when I was, I think, 18 or 19, when I was first came to the tour. Yeah.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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