Kei Nishikori will play his second-round match against Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Miami Open 2021 today. The former World No.5 player defeated Aljaz Bedene in the first round quite comfortably. He’ll hope to play well against Tsitsipas too and secure his place in the pre-quarters of the tournament.

In a recent interview, Kei Nishikori highlighted the major differences between playing in Dubai and Miami. The Japanese played quite well at the Dubai Tennis Championships 2021 and reached the quarterfinals there. However, runner-up of the competition, Lloyd Harris defeated him in the quarters.

“Yeah, I would say here is very slow, the court surface, and the balls are heavy so it’s tough to hit the winner here. Very windy and humid, very hot. I think I haven’t played a long time with this kind of weather. Not easy,” said Nishikori in the interview.

Nishikori clearly reflected that it is not easy to play in Miami as the conditions are really slow. He also stated that the weather is very hot and humid there and winds are also flowing at a fast rate.

“Was tough, very tough”- Kei Nishikori

Nishikori mentioned that it was really tough to stand and face his last opponent in that weather. He emphasized that they both faced difficulties because of the wind.

“Well, I think we both having a tough time on the court. We had many long rallies, and many deuces, two hours and 50 minutes’ match. It was tough, very tough. Physically and mentally, too, because it was windy, too,” added the US Open 2014 runner-up.

Kei Nishikori may not have played much tennis in such conditions for a long time, but he is ready to face and challenge his opponents nonetheless.

Will Nishikori be able to breach the fortress of Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Miami Open 2021?

Also Read: “My Idol”: Kei Nishikori Wishes to Play Against Roger Federer at ATP Masters 1000