Kei Nishikori: 'Davis Cup is not about me, it is about the team'
The first edition of Davis Cup Finals will take place in November at Caja Magica in Madrid, gathering 18 teams that will fight for the prestigious title in the new format. In Davis Cup Qualifiers round in February, Japan stole the win from China in Guangzhou to secure the place in the year-end event where they will face Frace and Serbia in strong Group A. Novak Djokovic will not be there to defend the colors of his country and it should be a great battle for the top spot between France and Japan, with Kei Nishikori who feels ready to lead his team towards Davis Cup glory.
World no. 7 has not played for Japan since 2016 and this will be a chance for him to improve an already impressive tally of 20 wins from 23 rubbers, suffering the last defeat against Andy Murray in that epic first-round tie in 2016 in just under five hours.
"The first time I played Davis Cup was in India, I was seventeen or eighteen years old and was very nervous. Leading the team, playing for my country, it was a big pleasure but it was something different than when I've played on tour. It was an excellent experience. There are plenty of great memories... We played many play offs that we won with very close matches. The good thing about Davis Cup is that it is not about me, it's about the team. Some of my teammates played very well and I got good motivation from them and it carried on to my turn so that's a good thing about Davis Cup.
I used to be very pressured but in the last couple of years I really enjoy playing Davis Cup, I play more freely and I like to play Davis Cup. Everybody is excited to play because this year is the first time with the new format, the city is nice, the Japan team is getting stronger. Hopefully, they'll come to Madrid. If I win the Davis Cup, I will go to an island with the team."
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2VIV5bI
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