Kei Nishikori says he is looking forward to competing at the season-ending ATP Finals after taking the eighth and final place from the injured Juan Martin del Potro.
Nishikori has had injury problems of his own over the past year and only returned in January from a five-month absence after being sidelined with a right wrist injury.
The 28-year-old has failed to add to his 11 ATP Tour titles this season although he has come close on three occasions, having lost in the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters, Japan Open and Vienna Open.
Having dropped to 39th in the world rankings in April, Japan’s star has climbed back to 11th in the official standings and he will now compete in the season-ending London event for the first time since 2016.
Nishikori has taken the place of Del Potro after the Argentine suffered a fractured kneecap at the Shanghai Masters last month and has failed to recover in time.
Speaking about the 2009 US Open champion and his place in the ATP Finals, the Matsue-born star said on Twitter: “First of all, I want to wish Del Potro a speedy recovery. He had an amazing year.
“Second, I am very excited to join the London field. I started my year with challengers and missed the Aussie Open and Indian Wells. Very proud of the way the year turned out.”
Despite coming close on a couple of occasions, Nishikori has yet to break his Grand Slam duck although he is currently priced at 41.00 to win the 2019 Australian Open whilst he is 29.00 to triumph at the US Open next year.
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