Australian Open qualifying is well underway, as the lower-ranked players on tour look to book their places in the main draw.
There are several recognisable names in the qualifying draw, including 2024 Italian Open finalist Nicolas Jarry, 2021 Indian Wells finalist Nikoloz Basilashvili, and 2019 Monte Carlo Masters finalist Dusan Lajovic.
Jarry and Basilashvili both fell short in their first-round qualifying matches, while Lajovic advanced to round two.
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However, one player with even more pedigree than those listed above failed to even step on the court for his first-round qualifying match.
The 2014 US Open runner-up withdrew from Australian Open qualifying hours before his opening match…
Kei Nishikori withdraws from Australian Open qualifying
Japanese tennis star Kei Nishikori was scheduled to play Belgium’s Kimmer Coppejans in the first round of Australian Open qualifying.
The match never took place, though, as Nishikori, a finalist at the 2014 US Open, withdrew hours before.
Instead, Coppejans took on Omar Jasika and won in straight sets to move himself within two wins of the main draw.
It’s unclear exactly why Nishikori withdrew, as we await a statement from the former world number four.
However, the chances are that he wasn’t fit to play, having retired from the last match he played on the Challenger Tour.
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Trailing Czechia’s Vit Kopriva 6-1, 2-2 in Canberra, Nishikori was forced to retire.
That match was just his seventh since the Geneva Open last June.
Kei Nishikori’s last seven matches
| Date | Match | Opponent | Result | Score |
| May 19, 2025 | 2025 Geneva Open – 1R | Learner Tien | WIN | 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 |
| May 20, 2025 | 2025 Geneva Open – 2R | Karen Khachanov | LOSS | 5-7, 5-2 (RET) |
| August 8, 2025 | 2025 Cincinnati Open – 1R | Camilo Ugo Carabelli | LOSS | 5-7, 3-6 |
| November 18, 2025 | 2025 Yokhoma Challenger – 1R | Taisei Ichikawa | WIN | 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 |
| November 20, 2025 | 2025 Yokhoma Challenger – 2R | Sanhui Shin | WIN | 6-4, 6-1 |
| November 21, 2025 | 2025 Yokhoma Challenger – QF | Kaichi Uchida | LOSS | 2-6, 2-6 |
| January 6, 2026 | 2026 Canberra Challenger – 1R | Vit Kopriva | LOSS | 1-6, 2-2 (RET) |
Nishikori has been plagued with injuries recently, having once been a solid top-10 player.
The 36-year-old is now ranked 237th in the world.
But how good was Nishikori in his prime?
Kei Nishikori’s Grand Slam record
During Nishikori’s heyday, he qualified for nine Grand Slam quarterfinals, two semifinals, and a final.
| Grand Slam | Best performance | Win-Loss record | Win % |
| Australian Open | QF – 2012, 2015, 2016, 2019 | 28-11 | 72% |
| French Open | QF – 2015, 2017, 2019 | 27-12 | 69% |
| Wimbledon | QF – 2018, 2019 | 22-12 | 65% |
| US Open | F – 2014 | 27-11 | 71% |
He came closest to winning a Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows 12 years ago.
Defeating Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic in back-to-back matches, Nishikori became the first Japanese player to reach a major final.
Kei Nishikori at the 2014 US Open
- 2014 US Open 1R – Kei Nishikori defeated Wayne Odesnik, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2
- 2014 US Open 2R – Kei Nishikori defeated Pablo Andujar, 6-4, 6-1 (RET)
- 2014 US Open 3R – Kei Nishikori defeated Leonardo Mayer, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3
- 2014 US Open 4R – Kei Nishikori defeated Milos Raonic, 4-6, 7-6, 6-7, 7-5, 6-4
- 2014 US Open QF – Kei Nishikori defeated Stan Wawrinka, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4
- 2014 US Open SF – Kei Nishikori defeated Novak Djokovic, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6, 6-3
He did, however, fail in his bid to win the title, losing to Croatia’s Marin Cilic, 3-6, 3-6, 3-6 in the 2014 US Open final.
Unfortunately for Nishikori, it seems highly unlikely that he will ever get his hands on a Grand Slam trophy.
Since reaching three Grand Slam quarterfinals in 2019, the Japanese player hasn’t returned to the last eight of a major tournament.
Due to his injury struggles, Nishikori has only won nine Grand Slam matches since 2019.
Kei Nishikori at Grand Slams since 2019
| Grand Slam | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
| Australian Open | – | 1R | – | – | – | 2R | – |
| French Open | 2R | 4R | – | – | 2R | – | |
| Wimbledon | – | 2R | – | – | 1R | – | |
| US Open | – | 3R | – | – | – | – |
Only time will tell if Nishikori can return to winning ways later this year, but the signs aren’t looking promising…
Nishikori is next scheduled to appear at the Phan Tiet 2 Challenger Tour event in Vietnam, which begins on Monday, January 26.
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