Kei Nishikori: My most memorable moment in 2016 Rio was vs Rafael Nadal
In an interview, Kei Nishikori recalled the bronze medal he won in the Rio Olympic Games three years ago. The Japanese player defeated Rafael Nadal in a three-set silver medal match. "The most memorable moment in Rio was having the medal put on, because a tennis player usually wins a trophy, not a medal, as a prize. I was satisfied that I was able to fight out aggressively against Nadal at that time," said Nishikori.
On the Asian players struggling to breakthrough, he added: "I practice at Bollettieri's in the U.S. That's made me little different than playing Asia. Especially in Japan, it's tough to go outside. U.S., Europe, it's just tough to go outside. I used to play a lot in Europe when I was juniors. I get many experience play with different players. That gave me more confidence to play different guys. Yeah, if you're in Asia, it's just tough to go outside, I think. For me it is helping me that I was in the U.S. when I was little, playing with all the different players. There is a lot of power players, a lot of different type of players. So I think that helps me to learn how to win against them."
On the popularity of tennis in Japan, he concluded: "I think baseball and soccer is one of the biggest sports in Japan. But I think tennis is getting better in these two, three years. A lot of kids playing, start playing. Tennis is getting more popular now. I think a lot of kids start playing. So tennis is getting popular in Japan."
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2YaYtJD
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