Kei Nishikori: Almost But Not Quite

Kei Nishikori:  Almost But Not Quite

          

              He was perspiring profusely as the match extended to the fifth set. Sweat was dripping down his face. He wiped it with his own shirt, unable to wait for the utility man to hand him the towel. Playing for more than three hours, he didn't look too tired. If there was anything going for him at that stage, it was stamina. His serves remained powerful, his shots almost clear, deliberate and strong. With a jam packed coliseum, he disposed of tennis superstars Steve Wawrinka and Milos Raonic in spectacular fashion. Not yet contented, he beat world number one Novak Djokovic in four sets to become the first Asian to reach a Grand Slam final. Before a stunned crowd, he dropped his racquet and looked upwards with both arms high up in the air.

Kei Nishikori playing aggressively in his match against Canadian Milos Raonic, winning in 5 sets (skysportspic; caption is mine)

Canadian Milos Raonic in his losing match versus Kei Nishikori (usopenpic; caption is mine)

Kei Nishikori goes after the ball in his long match with Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland, beating him in 5 sets. (abcpic; caption is mine)

Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland fires back with a backhand but loses the fight to Nishikori. (ibtimepic; caption is mine)

World number one Novak Djokovic gestures in his semifinal match versus Nishikori. (nationalpostpic; caption is mine)

Kei Nishikori rejoices after beating world number one Novak Djokovic in 4 sets in their semifinal match at the US Open. He is the first Asian ever to advance to a Grand Slam final. (nationalpostpic; caption is mine)

              Kei Nishikori grew up in Matsue, a quiet city of Shimane Prefecture in Japan where beautiful lakes, rivers and other water tributaries can be seen. His father is an engineer and his mother is a piano teacher who allowed him to play tennis even when it conflicted with his studies. At a very young age, he would challenge and beat bigger and older schoolmates.  Soon, he was capturing titles in the youth division. In 2004, he relocated to Florida to undergo training at a renowned school where tennis is a priority. To help defray expenses, Masaaki Morita, younger brother of the Sony Corp owner, took Kei under his care through a scholarship. In the ensuing years, he improved his world ranking and was beating seasoned tennis players. He ranked number 10 at the start of the 2014 US Open.  The sporting world has taken notice.

Matsue City in Japan where Nishikori grew up. (globeimagespic; caption is mine)

Matsue boasts of beautiful rivers and lakes. (shimanetourpic; caption is mine)

Cherry Blossom trees by the banks of a river in Matsue, Japan. Cherry Blossoms are spring flowers. ( matsuetravguidepic; caption is mine)

The boy who grew up to be a tennis superstar. (hcpic; caption is mine)

Young Kei with his parents (cnnpic; caption is mine)

               With his  two-handed backhand as part of his arsenal, Nishikori uses a Wilson racket and changes rackets during the middle part of the match.  He draws from his bag a new one wrapped in plastic sheet. During dead ball situations, he would run his fingers through the strings, checking the level of string tension. Kei is so much proud of his country that he sports Japanese brand Uniqlo shirt which has come out with one special edition bearing his name. Nissin Noodles is printed on his playing shirt.  He wears Adidas Barricade 8.

Ken Nishikori packs a mean two-handed backhand. (articlewnpic; caption is mine)

Kei uses a Wilson Steam 99 racquet. He changes racquets in the middle of a match. (tenniswarehousepic; caption is mine)

Closer shot of Wilson Steam 99 racquets (tenniswarehousepic; caption is mine)

Kei Nishikori always wears a Uniqlo t-shirt. Uniqlo is selling limited edition t -shirts bearing his name. Uniqlo is a Japanese casual wear brand. (uniqlopic; caption is mine)

Uniqlo outlet in Ginza, Japan.  Uniqlo is short for Unique Clothing. (wikipic; caption is mine)

Novak Djokovic is another Uniqlo product endorser. Kei beat Novak in 4 sets at their semifinal match at the US Open.It was a  match between two Uniqlo endorsers. (uniqlopic; caption is mine)

Kei has a Nissin Noodles patch on his playing shirt. (mariposapic; caption is mine)

Kei endorses the Japanese-made Nissin Cup Noodles. (tenniswarehousepic; caption is mine)

.

Nishikori wears Adidas Barricade 8. It sells for $99. (tenniswarehousepic; caption is mine)

Kei Nishikori has earned $9 million in product endorsements alone. (forbespic; caption is mine)

               Match time came and thousands flocked to the playing arena at Flushing Meadows in New York. There was tension, there was pressure.  It was for all the marbles. Determination was written on Kei' s face as he unleashed his usual shots. But Croatia' s Marin Cilic was more determined and fired-up. With powerful serves and high accuracy shots, he beat Nishikori in three straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 to win the 2014 US Open title. It was a painful loss for Kei. Though falling short, it was still an encouraging finale for the Japanese tennis player who nearly succeeded in achieving his dream at the age of 24. He has climbed near the top, close to the 'golden crown' . In the process, he broke records, he hurdled obstacles and he transcended his limitations. To the man from Matsue, Banzai !!

- Konted

The Arthur Ashe Stadium at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows in New York.

Marin Cilic beat Roger Federer to advance to the US Open Final versus Japan's Kei Nishikori. (newyorktimespic; caption is mine)

Marin Cilic displaying his powerful serves en route to winning the US Open title. (theguardianpic; caption is mine)

Cilic drops to the ground after finally winning the US Open title in 3 straight sets, pocketing $3 million. It is Cilic' s first grand slam title. (bleacherpic; caption is mine)

The 6'6" Croatian Marin Cilic is US Open champion while the 5'10" Japanese Kei Nishikori is runner-up. (bleacherpic; caption is mine)

Croatians cheer for Marin Cilic. (mailonlinepic; caption is mine)

Marin Cilic's girlfriend Kristina Milkovic cheers after Cilic scores a point. (larrybrownpic; caption is mine)

Bruce Willis with wife Emma Henning watch the championship match at Flushing Meadows in New York.  Flushing Meadows is a big park. (mailonlinepic; caption is mine)

Bill Gates watches the championship match at Flushing Meadows in New York.(georgianewspic; caption is mine)

Townmates of Kei Nishikori watch the tennis match at Matsue in Japan. (mailonlinepic; caption is mine)

_________________________________