Kei Nishikori says he had a moment last year where he thought he might give up, ‘If I need to have another surgery, mentally, I won’t be able to fight anymore’

“I followed the number of injuries you've had over the years. It seems as though every time you're trying to make a comeback and get some momentum, you've been injured… Have you ever come close to thinking, I can't keep doing this; I need to stop?”

Kei: “Yeah, almost. Almost last year
because I had my knee and shoulder two years ago, and I almost came back. I got injured again. It was like up and downs. I was thinking, like, if I have maybe another surgery, then I think mentally I won’t be able to fight anymore. It was, like, two in a row. I had a year I couldn't play and another half year I couldn't play because of an injury I got, so... That was the toughest time I think, end of 2023 maybe.”

“What kept you going?”

Kei: “Well, I just still love to play tennis. I
love to compete. I wanted to play on a big stadium like today. That was my goal a year ago when I was doing rehab. I still think that I have chances to play with
these top players. I'm feeling that since the end of last year. I got more confidence. This last week also helped me to believe in myself. So I’m still really enjoying this moment, this practice, training. Training not so much, but I still do (smiling).” ❤️

(via Australian Open Press)