Japanese No.1, Kei Nishikori was defeated by his compatriot, Yoshihito Nishioka 7-6 (2) 6-4 in the second round of the Western and Southern Open 2019 last week. The world No.7 did not have a great start at the summer hardcourt season as he also lost his first match against Richard Gasquet at the Montreal Open 2019.

The 2014 US Open finalist is doubtful for this year’s US Open as he is having breathing problems since the Wimbledon Championships 2019, where he fell short of the 20-time Grand Slam champion, Roger Federer in the quarterfinals.

“It was a tough match for me. My serves were not so good, and I wish I had made more of my serves. I’ve been having trouble breathing since Wimbledon, so I’ve got to get it checked,” Nishikori said in an interview after his defeat at the Cincinnati Open 2019.

Kei Nishikori has been seeded No.7 at the US Open, this year and will enter the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center without winning a match on the hard surface after the Wimbledon Championships 2019.

Nishikori has also probably flown to New York and was seen practicing for the final Grand Slam event of the season. The 29-year-old is thinking that he might find a solution to his breathing problems before the US Open starts.

Kei Nishikori also suggested that he was not feeling well after his defeat against Richard Gasquet at the Canadian Open 2019. He said, “I was away from playing matches for a while, so I was a bit rusty and he was playing really well too.” 

“My elbow was hurting a bit during the match, so I decided not to play the doubles,” Kei Nishikori added before pulling out of the doubles match in Montreal. He continued, “I’ve been trying out different ways to heal it, but it’s still hurting. Hopefully, it will get better next week.”