	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

U.S. OPEN

September 2, 2010

Kei Nishikori

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

K. NISHIKORI/M. Cilic
5-7, 7-6, 3-6, 7-6, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How are you feeling after that and what has happened to you in the locker room since coming off the court?
KEI NISHIKORI: Uhm, I had a headache. Of course, I played more than five hours and, you know, it was hot day. And I did ice bath after, I did stretch, just rest my body.

Q. You haven't been on an IV or anything like that?
KEI NISHIKORI: No.

Q. Your thoughts about what you were able to do today, persevere in that heat and beat Cilic?
KEI NISHIKORI: I knew he had good serve and good second serve. I was thinking it is key to break second serve. I was not returning well until third or fourth set and start more attack his second serve. I was just slicing and just putting. You know, it was working.
After the serve, I was able to, uhm, hit winners. I was cramping second, third set. And, uhm, I think that was key, fourth-set tiebreak, yeah.

Q. You've had bad luck with injuries over the past year or two.
KEI NISHIKORI: Yeah.

Q. The fact that you are able to get through a match like that under such difficult conditions, can you look at that as maybe something that can give you confidence going forward, that you're able to persevere, win a tournament under those conditions?
KEI NISHIKORI: I was struggling after comeback. I was not playing for 11 or 12 months. I thought I lost everything: my feeling and my tennis.
But I start getting confidence. I was winning challengers, won three challengers already. Uhm, before this, two weeks ago, I won Binghamton challenger and played really well there, started getting confidence.
Uhm, yeah, it was difficult. It was raining, and I had to wait three days to finish the first match. And, yeah, like today, it was hot, and played five hours.
But, you know, I beat -- he's top player obviously and played well today, so I'm getting more confidence from these tournaments.

Q. I know you got asked about it courtside, but it's 15 years since Matsuoka had an infamous match out there when he was in agony with cramps. You were a young kid when that happened. You obviously know Shuzo. Have you talked to him about that experience?
KEI NISHIKORI: Yeah, I see him many times on TV. Yeah, he was always too sad to see that because no one can help. He just has to, uhm, lay down and couldn't do anything.
And I used to cramp a lot. Even two years ago I played here and I was cramping from first match. I was able to finish that.
But, you know, the rules changing now and it's more tough when you're cramping, so... Uhm, but nothing I can change.

Q. You said you started cramping in the second set, which is early.
KEI NISHIKORI: Yeah.

Q. When you got into a fifth, were you afraid that something really unpleasant might happen?
KEI NISHIKORI: I was thinking about it in fourth set mostly. Even if I win this, I have to play one more set. It's not going to be easy for me, you know, cramping.
But I was able to fight through, yeah.

Q. So does this give you more satisfaction than anything you've achieved in tennis so far, coming through that match, coming through five hours in that heat?
KEI NISHIKORI: After came back, yeah. Played five set in French, too. But it wasn't hot. It was tough. But even today was hot and I was cramping, so... Yeah, it was tough match.

Q. I was going to ask you to compare it to the Ferrer match in 2008. Would you rate this higher than that?
KEI NISHIKORI: What do you mean? Sorry.

Q. Would you say this was the most satisfying match between the two?
KEI NISHIKORI: Uhm, you know, it was both good match for me. I have more good memories there against Ferrer. I won first two set, and he came back, but I was still fighting. And was first time Round of 16. I was really happy about it.

Q. How big a sports star are you in Japan?
KEI NISHIKORI: Uhm, I don't know (smiling). It's getting big, I think.

Q. Do you enjoy it? Do you enjoy being famous?
KEI NISHIKORI: Of course, yeah. But I live in Florida mostly. So mostly nobody recognize me there. When I go back to Japan, it's fun. I might get a crazy if I stay there all the time. But I live in States, so it's not bad.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297