Kei Nishikori loses in US Open qualifying; 'last Grand Slam tournament' ends

[New York Current Affairs] The third qualifying round of the singles for the US Open, one of the Grand Slam tennis tournaments, was held in New York on the 28th, and Kei Nishikori (Uniqlo) lost to Rei Sakamoto (IMG) in straight sets, marking the end of his last Grand Slam tennis tournament. The 36-year-old former world No. 4 ranked player praised the 20-year-old rising star, saying, ``Losing to Rei was better than losing to other players.''

The baton handed to Rei Sakamoto: Defeating the coveted Kei Nishikori - United States Tennis

After the match, in contrast to Sakamoto who was celebrating on the court, Nishikori sat on the bench looking burnt out. "He put out all the last candles, or rather, he put them out. It's a refreshing feeling," she said with a beaming expression. Although he said that he had "no regrets" about being an active player, after losing to Sakamoto, who hopes to break into the top 10 in the world rankings in the future, he said, "At the end, I felt like I was going to hit him and break him." I still felt like I had accomplished something.

This is the last game in the United States for now. The U.S. was the first Grand Slam tournament that I competed in in 2007, and was a special place where I finished runner-up in 2014. After the match, a special ceremony was held to honor the players' past achievements, and they received a big round of applause from the audience. ``This is a place filled with wonderful memories. I was happy to be able to play here one last time,'' he said with emotion.

The Japan Open, which begins in late September, is expected to be his last tournament as an active player. "First of all, I want to take a break. I want to practice. I want to finish off with a great match as I prepare for the Japan Open. I want to get revenge on Rei." In order to rekindle the candle that had once gone out, I turned my attention to the final battle.