Australian Open in danger? Kei Nishikori cancels event in Melbourne
Kei Nishikori has canceled his start at the Melbourne ATP 250 event. The Japanese has not yet made any public reason for this.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Dec 26, 2021, 08:09 pm
Kei Nishikori will not be returning to the ATP tour as planned at the Melbourne ATP 250 event January 4-9. The Japanese, who has repeatedly struggled with injuries in the past, has canceled his start for the preparatory tournament for the Autralian Open on Sunday.
Among others, Rafael Nadal, Reilly Opelka, Grigor Dimitrov and Lloyd Harris have agreed to take part in the ATP 250 event, although the start of Nadal can be classified as highly unlikely at the moment. The Spaniard tested positive for COVID-19 just before Christmas and is also questionable for the Australian Open.
Nishikori and Bublik cancel
It is also questionable whether Kei NIshikori will compete in the first major event of the year. The Japanese has not played a match since the Indian Wells ATP Masters 1000 event. Nishikori is currently only 47th in the ATP world rankings. So far, no reason is known for his cancellation in Melbourne.
In addition to Nishikori, Alexander Bublik has also canceled his start at the event in Melbourne. The Kazakh was able to play his way up to number 36 in the ATP charts in 2021 and would have started work in Melbourne. Even in the case of the 24-year-old, no reason for the cancellation is known so far.