Another Grand Slam missed: Kei Nishikori forced to withdraw from Wimbledon

The first notable withdrawal from Wimbledon has been confirmed, as former world No. 4 Kei Nishikori could not recover from injury and announced his absence from the third Grand Slam of the year. The Japanese player suffered an injury at the recent Geneva Open, which forced him to retire in the quarterfinals against Karen Khachanov (5-7, 5-2, ret.).

The injury sustained on the clay courts subsequently prevented him from playing the French Open – where he was drawn against Carlos Alcaraz in the first round. The Japanese continues to struggle with his physical conditioning and will miss the rest of the grass-swing, although details on his recovery time are not yet available.

Nishikori's return to the courts over the past couple of years has not been easy. Towards the end of 2024, Nishikori returned to action after surgery, and by alternating ATP and Challenger tournaments, he achieved some good results that allowed him to climb the rankings. He started this year's season strongly by reaching the Hong Kong Open final (losing to Alexandre Muller).

The former US Open finalist went from world No. 581 in July 2024 to No. 106 by the end of the season. This year, he achieved some good results in Challengers and climbed back into the top 60 of the ranking, but unfortunately, injuries are complicating his path again, and he will miss the action at the All England Club.

Since early 2022 to date, Nishikori has only participated in three Grand Slam main draws, the last of which was the Australian Open this year. However, he had to withdraw from Roland Garros and now from Wimbledon. At SW19, his best results are two quarterfinal appearances back in 2018 and 2019.

Nishikori's withdrawal from the tournament definitively confirms the entry of Brit Billy Harris as his replacement, while former US Open champion Marin Cilic is now first on the alternate list for Wimbledon entry.