Nishikori is underrated

[Deleted member 757377]

Nishikori is my second favourite player (after Djokovic). He is very underrated, he hits so good from both wings, is so fast, he's a hard worker...

I think there's a reason if he's the only one with Nadal, Federer, Murray and Wawrinka to have eliminated Djokovic in big tournaments (slams/yec/olympics) from UO10 to RG16.

In 2014 he had a 11-7 score against top-10s, losing outside grass (his worst surface) only to Djokovic, Federer and Nadal. And he nearly beat Nadal at Madrid too, so it could have been 12-6.

In 2015 his score was 6-10, with 5 losses being to Federer, Djokovic, Murray and slamWrinka (AO).

In 2016 it was 5-13, with 12 losses being to Djokovic, Murray, Nadal and slamWrinka (UO).

An in form Nishikori IMO is the best recent player to never win a slam, along with Tsonga maybe. Hope he will, one day.

 

[zagor]

An in form Nishikori IMO he's the best recent player to never win a slam, along with Tsonga maybe. Hope he will, one day.

An in-form Nishikori? For the whole tourney? What a rare beast that must be.

Nearly beat Nadal in Madrid, the match in which he retired, right.

 

[Plamen1234]

Nishikori would have won US Open 2014 if Cilic wasnt peaking in this tournament

 

[George Turner]

His very best performances (which have been few and far between) are better than the best of lost genners Raonic/Dimitrov. Raonics best was against injured Fedr. Dimitrov for all his talent and "baby Fedr" hype has never put on a truly great performance in his whole career. I also don't recall Berdych or Ferrer ever playing as well at Nishikori did in that win over Djokovic.

But i still don't think he's under-rated, because he hasn't been able to repeat those levels very often. One or two swallows does not make a summer, otherwise Kyrgios would be the GOAT.

 

[junior74]

Not underrated, but clearly an underachiever

I too like his game.

 

[Zeref]

He is an annual one match wonder...like Verdasco.

 

[NatF]

Great movement and ballstriker but his serve really holds him back.

 

[cc0509]

Oh shhhh! He's overrated! Injured every other freaking week and is terrible mentally vs the Big Three players. His peak was beating Djokovic at the USO 2014.

 

[Deleted member 757377]

Nishikori would have won US Open 2014 if Cilic wasnt peaking in this tournament

Probablly he was tired after 14 sets played against Raonic, Wawrinka and Djokovic.

 

[cc0509]

Probablly he was tired after 14 sets played against Raonic, Wawrinka and Djokovic.

Tired, lmao. He was 24 years old at the time. Federer at 36 was able to get through grueling five-set matches vs Nishikori, Wawrinka, and Nadal to win the AO 2017 and Nishikori at 24 was too tired?

 

[zagor]

Tired, lmao. He was 24 years old at the time. Federer at 36 was able to get through grueling five-set matches vs Nishikori, Wawrinka, and Nadal to win the AO 2017 and Nishikori at 24 was too tired?

Atleast he wasn't injured that time, gotta be thankful for small miracles.

Nishikori has a very fun game to watch but underrated he really isn't. It's hard to be underrated when you don't even have a masters title.

 

[cc0509]

Atleast he wasn't injured that time, gotta be thankful for small miracles.

Nishikori has a very fun game to watch but underrated he really isn't. It's hard to be underrated when you don't even have a masters title.

I used to like watching his tennis but I gave up on him. Injured way too much for my taste and has the mental fortitude of a mouse. And yes, wth has he won? He's so overrated it's crazy IMO.

 

[Deleted member 757377]

Tired, lmao. He was 24 years old at the time. Federer at 36 was able to get through grueling five-set matches vs Nishikori, Wawrinka, and Nadal to win the AO 2017 and Nishikori at 24 was too tired?

Federer is Federer. Different game and class.

And Nishikori's path was tougher, he had 4 hard matches back to back.

 

[junior74]

Tired, lmao. He was 24 years old at the time. Federer at 36 was able to get through grueling five-set matches vs Nishikori, Wawrinka, and Nadal to win the AO 2017 and Nishikori at 24 was too tired?

Wasn't Federer 39 at the time?

I hear you. But they can't be compared.

 

[cc0509]

Federer is Federer. Different game and class.

And Nishikori's path was tougher, he had 4 hard matches back to back.

Nishikori's path was not tougher at 24 than Federer's path at 36! Sorry.

 

[cc0509]

Wasn't Federer 39 at the time?

I hear you. But they can't be compared.

You're right they can't be compared. Federer's road at 36 was tougher than Nishikori's at 24. He may be Japan's hero and endorsement king(it shows you how hurting Asia is for successful tennis players) but on a tennis court, he's supremely overrated IMO. Li Na blows him away for Asian players with actual results!

 

[Deleted member 756486]

He’s overrated.

Beat Djokovic at the USO 2014 then laid an egg in the final to Cilic who he has a winning H2H against.

 

[Deleted member 757377]

Nishikori's path was not tougher at 24 than Federer's path at 36! Sorry.

R16, QF, SF, F:

UO 14 Nishikori: 18 aces
AO 17 Federer: 65 aces

Does this comparison have sense?

 

[cc0509]

R16, QF, SF, F:

UO 14 Nishikori: 18 aces
AO 17 Federer: 65 aces

Does this comparison have sense?

All that tells me is that Federer is a better server than Nishikori. You can't compare Niskiori's road at the USO 2014 at peak age 24 to Federer's road at the AO 2017 at age 36! It's stupidity. I'm done here.

 

[junior74]

You're right they can't be compared. Federer's road at 36 was tougher than Nishikori's at 24. He may be Japan's hero and endorsement king(it shows you how hurting Asia is for successful tennis players) but on a tennis court, he's supremely overrated IMO. Li Na blows him away for Asian players with actual results!

I agree. Kei is an overrated underachiever IMO.

In the end, he probably lacks physicality to win anything big. Can't string together more than a couple of good matches before withdrawing.

 

[Im(moral) Winner]

What is he like 2-5000 against the top guys?

 

[Forehand_Slice]

Why the comparison to Federer?
One's a Tier 1 ATG, the other even at his best is just a slightly above standard Top 10 player.

Nishikori is still one of the best players to not win a Masters.
He's underrated in the sense that he had the career he did while having such a terrible serve.

 

[Bukmeikara]

Tired, lmao. He was 24 years old at the time. Federer at 36 was able to get through grueling five-set matches vs Nishikori, Wawrinka, and Nadal to win the AO 2017 and Nishikori at 24 was too tired?

1.AO is at the start of the season, Us Open is at the end
2.Federer played night matches at AO + the humidity in New York makes the conditions "harder" than those in Melbourne

 

[zagor]

I used to like watching his tennis but I gave up on him. Injured way too much for my taste and has the mental fortitude of a mouse. And yes, wth has he won? He's so overrated it's crazy IMO.

Oh I still like watching his tennis, just preferably not against the very best. Can't stand his defeatist body language when he's playing any of the big 4, he looks like a little kid getting disciplined by his parent or something.

 

[TearTheRoofOff]

Pros = Movement, return and ball-striking.

Cons = Serve and quantity of glass in his body.

 

[Deleted member 757377]

What is he like 2-5000 against the top guys?

He is very good against top players.

8-35 vs big4
4-4 vs Wawrinka
10-4 vs Ferrer
5-1 vs Berdych
5-3 vs Tsonga
5-2 vs Raonic
8-6 vs Cilic
4-1 vs Dimitrov
2-0 vs Thiem
1-1 vs Zverev
3-1 vs Monfils
3-0 vs Goffin
5-2 vs Verdasco
4-2 vs Anderson
2-1 vs Isner

 

[Deleted member 757377]

Other than the big4 the only recent top 10 players with a positive h2h against Nishikori are Del Potro and Gasquet (6-2 and 7-2), but in 2014-16 he is 3-3 against them.

 

[Backspin1183]

He's very good but is made of glass which has affected his mental strength in last 2-3 years.

 

[robthai]

Nalbandian is even more underrated.

 

[Red Rick]

Tired, lmao. He was 24 years old at the time. Federer at 36 was able to get through grueling five-set matches vs Nishikori, Wawrinka, and Nadal to win the AO 2017 and Nishikori at 24 was too tired?

Not everyone is equally aerobically gifted

Not everyone is on the same peds.

And Fed had the ridiculously easy match vs Mischa Zverev to help recover from the Nishikori match

 

[Red Rick]

His very best performances (which have been few and far between) are better than the best of lost genners Raonic/Dimitrov. Raonics best was against injured Fedr. Dimitrov for all his talent and "baby Fedr" hype has never put on a truly great performance in his whole career. I also don't recall Berdych or Ferrer ever playing as well at Nishikori did in that win over Djokovic.

But i still don't think he's under-rated, because he hasn't been able to repeat those levels very often. One or two swallows does not make a summer, otherwise Kyrgios would be the GOAT.

Honeslty Dimitrov´s semi final runs at the Aussie and Wimbledon were both great and he played fantastic tennis on both those semi finals.

 

[zagor]

Nalbandian is even more underrated.

Yep.

 

[NatF]

Honeslty Dimitrov´s semi final runs at the Aussie and Wimbledon were both great and he played fantastic tennis on both those semi finals.

Yeah Dimitrov was unlucky not to at least take Djokovic to 5 at Wimbledon, he's lacking big wins though.

 

[Krish872007]

https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/roflmao-nishikori-is-so-bad.580922/

 

[Raining hopes]

Actually think Nishikori is very very good.

Yep.

He is made fun of but he was a monster in 2007 Indoor season. Fred, Nadal,a Djokovic fresh off his USO final got blown to smithereens by Nalbandian.

Well atleast Nishikori has injury as the reason.Nalbandian has none.

 

[Red Rick]

Actually think Nishikori is very very good.



He is made fun of but he was a monster in 2007 Indoor season. Fred, Nadal,a Djokovic fresh off his USO final got blown to smithereens by Nalbandian.

Well atleast Nishikori has injury as the reason.Nalbandian has none.

Food.

 

[nolefam_2024]

Only made 4R once in Wimbledon. Probably retired 2/3 times in Wimbledon.

His best results aside from slam finals are Olympic medal and few 500s, which even Jack Sock, Sam Querry have.

Sock and Isner actually won a masters.

 

[Mainad]

Nishikori is my second favourite player (after Djokovic). He is very underrated, he hits so good from both wings, is so fast, he's a hard worker...

I think there's a reason if he's the only one with Nadal, Federer, Murray and Wawrinka to have eliminated Djokovic in big tournaments (slams/yec/olympics) from UO10 to RG16.

In 2014 he had a 11-7 score against top-10s, losing outside grass (his worst surface) only to Djokovic, Federer and Nadal. And he nearly beat Nadal at Madrid too, so it could have been 12-6.

In 2015 his score was 6-10, with 5 losses being to Federer, Djokovic, Murray and slamWrinka (AO).

In 2016 it was 5-13, with 11 losses being to Djokovic, Murray and slamWrinka (UO).

An in form Nishikori IMO is the best recent player to never win a slam, along with Tsonga maybe. Hope he will, one day.

His only weaknesses are his serve and his fitness. They are the only 2 things that are letting him down.

 

[kramer woodie]

Nishikori, underrated? NO WAY, Jose! Actually, billed to be a better player than he is, advertising hype fills seats. Though, I would rather
watch Nishikori play than Kyrgios or A. Zverev.

Aloha

 

[tacou]

Not sure this makes him underrated. Everyone here knows his talent. His injuries and inconsistency are well known, too.

 

[cc0509]

Not everyone is equally aerobically gifted

Not everyone is on the same peds.

And Fed had the ridiculously easy match vs Mischa Zverev to help recover from the Nishikori match

Nishikori is one of the highest endorsement earners in the sport. He can well afford the best PEDS.

 

[cc0509]

1.AO is at the start of the season, Us Open is at the end
2.Federer played night matches at AO + the humidity in New York makes the conditions "harder" than those in Melbourne

NO excuses! There is a 12 year age difference between them!

 

[Russeljones]

It is romantic to think of Nishikori this way. Nothing wrong with that, either.

 

[abmk]

His very best performances (which have been few and far between) are better than the best of lost genners Raonic/Dimitrov. Raonics best was against injured Fedr. Dimitrov for all his talent and "baby Fedr" hype has never put on a truly great performance in his whole career. I also don't recall Berdych or Ferrer ever playing as well at Nishikori did in that win over Djokovic.

But i still don't think he's under-rated, because he hasn't been able to repeat those levels very often. One or two swallows does not make a summer, otherwise Kyrgios would be the GOAT.

for Berdych : watch RG 2010 QF/SF vs Murray/Soderling
Wim 2010 QF/SF vs Federer/djokovic
cincy 11 vs federer
AO 12 QF vs Nadal
USO 2012 QF vs Federer

just on top of my head.

Ferrer has played pretty good matches as well - run to YEC final in 2007, 5-setter vs delpo in DC 11, RG 2013 SF vs tsonga etc. would take nishi's top level by a bit over his though.

As far as Dimitrov goes - AO 17 semi vs Nadal wasn't a great performance for you !?

 

[Mlenk]

He is a very good player. He was just unlucky to peak during Peak Djokovic era. He would have had at worst a handful of Masters 1000’s and at best maybe 1 or 2 slams if he had been peaking now instead of 2014 theough 2016. He’s no Fedal or Djoker, but still a good player nonetheless. I would aruge that he could have been on Wawrinkas level (and a level below Murray) if he had had been a couple inches taller and not made of glass.

 

[Jonas78]

I wish 90s clay was here to answer that one...

 

[zagor]

He is a very good player. He was just unlucky to peak during Peak Djokovic era. He would have had at worst a handful of Masters 1000’s and at best maybe 1 or 2 slams if he had been peaking now instead of 2014 theough 2016. He’s no Fedal or Djoker, but still a good player nonetheless. I would aruge that he could have been on Wawrinkas level (and a level below Murray) if he had had been a couple inches taller and not made of glass.

Nishikori doesn't have anywhere near Stan's power off the ground, fitness or cojones. Even his serve is much worse. Sure he's faster, has better ROS and is better at taking the ball early but that's not nearly enough to put him in the same league.

He wouldn't win a slam in any era because no matter how weak or strong, he won't reach the business end of any slam without physically falling apart or running out of gas.

 

[Mlenk]

Nishikori doesn't have anywhere near Stan's power off the ground, fitness or cojones. Even his serve is much worse. Sure he's faster, has better ROS and is better at taking the ball early but that's not nearly enough to put him in the same league.

He wouldn't win a slam in any era because no matter how weak or strong, he won't reach the business end of any slam without physically falling apart or running out of gas.

I said he could have been on wawrinkas level if he was just a couple inches taller and not made of glass, NOT as he actually physically is.

And he already made a slam Final and a semi final with him being made of glass. Cilic destroyed Fed in the SF and would have destroyed anyone else in that final playing how he was.

He could easily be a major threat at the US and Aus open’s if he was peaking now instead of during peak Djokovic.

 

[Mlenk]

To address the OP, he's not underrated or overrated. He just had the unfortunate luck to peak during Djokovic's peak, like so many other very good players in the last 15 years whose careers unfortunately coincided with Fedal and Djoker.

 

[Big_Dangerous]

What is he like 2-5000 against the top guys?

Was about to post this, lol.