Japan’s Kei Nishikori rues injury blow

Japan Kei Nishikori Wimbledon Tennis

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Japan’s Kei Nishikori has revealed his disappointment at being forced to withdraw from Wimbledon due to a calf injury.

The 2015 US Open runner-up was set to face Colombia Santiago Giraldo in the second round of the SW19 event but had to pull out having failed to recover from a slight ankle tear.

Nishikori’s injury was sustained before the start of the Grand Slam event but the 25-year-old managed to play through the pain and beat Italy’s Simone Bolelli in five sets in his first-round match.

Having warmed up on the practice courts on Wednesday, the Japanese star was hoping to continue his journey in the competition but has now been forced to take the decision to withdraw from his encounter with Giraldo.

Nishikori has now revealed his frustration at the injury but does not believe it will take him long to return to competitive tennis, as the injury is not too serious.

He said: “It got better before the first match and I thought it was going to be okay but in the last match, in the fifth set, I was hurting too much.

“I decided not to play today. It’s not a big injury, just a little tear.

“It’s very disappointing. I thought I was playing well on grass. I’m unfortunate to lose this chance.”

Meanwhile Giraldo has progressed and will therefore face the winner of the clash between Denis Kulda and Alexander Zverev in the third round at the All England Club.

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