World number 56 Yoshihito Nishioka was absolutely nervous when he played against 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer, which resulted in a straight set defeat. 25-year-old Nishioka and 39-year-old Federer met at the US Open in 2018.
The Swiss won a 6: 2, 6: 2, 6: 4 victory at their only meeting on the tour. “I got emotional playing Federer, I was overwhelmed and got nervous on the pitch, I didn’t know how to play,” Nishioka revealed, as Seiadoumogera / Twitter revealed.
Nishioka fought much better against Rafael Nadal, world number 2, but couldn’t win a single set against the Spaniard. Nadal defeated Nishioka 7: 6 (2) 6: 3 on the hard courts of Acapulco in 2017 before he scored a 7: 6 (4), 6: 4 win over the Japanese in the first ATP Cup.
“When I played against Nadal, I had good tactics, I had some chances, but he won important points or games at the critical moment. That is the quality of the top players,” said Nishioka.
Nishioka also played twice against Novak Djokovic but didn’t have much success when the Serb beat the Japanese in both meetings. “Djokovic is the strongest player at the moment. I had the feeling that I couldn’t beat him at the moment.”
The basic quality of his shots is very high, much higher than mine, “claimed Nishioka. Nishioka had two sets ahead of Andy Murray at this year’s US Open, but could not prevail against the former world number 1.
“Murray is persistent, he can get going after an attack. Even if his level is not as high as it was in his prime, I was still surprised at his level,” added Nishioka.
Meanwhile, Federer should play the Australian Open
Federer, who last played at the Australian Open, is expected to be ready for the Australian Open this season. Federer underwent two knee surgeries this year as he hopes for a big comeback in 2021.
“We have an obligation for every player in the world to be in Australia,” said Craig Tiley, director of the Australian Open tournament, as quoted in The Age. “He told us that February 8th was a more suitable date for him to prepare for the Australian Open.
But a lot will depend on how he reacts to his surgery over the next two to three weeks. ”
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