Kei Nishikori: Your Expectations for 2013
 

Kei had an injury marred 2012 but still had a very decent year, with QFs in Australia and Olympics and his first 500 title in Tokyo, and some very good wins. 2013 should be much better from one of the most promising, if not the most promising, young talents around. What do you guys expect from Kei?

First of all, I expect him to play a full season healthy, which would already be breaking new ground and would allow him to make big strides. I also expect him to make steady improvements on his game, namely his serve and defensive shotmaking, which are the two areas he most needs to improve.

At AO, a #19 seed isn't ideal, but I'd expect him to reach at least round 4 beating a 9-16 seed in round 3 and maybe repeat a QF showing if he draws Ferrer, Tsonga or Berdych in R4.

The North American swing and especially the clay season were a write off for Kei last season, plagued with injuries - he had so skip Rome, Madrid and RG and wasn't in top form for the other events. This year, I'd expect solid showing in IW and Miami and a solid clay season too - he has shown that he can play on clay. I hope he can build up his ranking during this stretch so he can enjoy some better draws in the second half of the season on grass and North American hardcourts. Getting as high as #12 would really help as he'd be facing Berdych, Tsonga and Ferrer in the lst 16 of events, opponents he definitely likes to face.

I expect him to play well on all surfaces and win 2 or 3 titles at the 250 and 500 level and to do well at Masters and Slams too. Making a first Slam semi might be too big a breakthrough for 2013 (although it's not out of the question with a good draw), but a couple of QF showings should be achievable. He should reach the top 10 with a decent chance of making it to the O2 with a strong end of the season and position himself to be a stronger contender in 2014. Much will depend on how long he takes to make it to the top 12, since a top 12 seed will help him with draws tremendously.

Re: Kei Nishikori: Your Expectations for 2013
 

I expect a broadly similar season to last but with a bit more consistency and one extra small title.

similar in injury terms as well but if he can stay fully fit all year (which I don't expect) then I wouldn't be surprised to see him finish in the 9-12 range.

gun to head year end ranking: 13

Re: Kei Nishikori: Your Expectations for 2013
 

He will call for the trainer the most out of any player on tour. Will still be overrated.

Will finish between 15-20 barring major injuries.

Re: Kei Nishikori: Your Expectations for 2013
 

Absolutely NID that if Kei had any haters it'd have to be someone like you :lol:

Re: Kei Nishikori: Your Expectations for 2013
 

I think Kei was a bit unlucky in the Slams in 2012:

AO - he did very well to reach QF but played far too many marathons and was exhausted to face Murray.

FO - Was injured, had to withdraw.

W - drew Del Potro in round 3, JMDP is probably his worst matchup on tour.

USO - faced an on-fire Cilic in round 3, the same Cilic who was crushing Murray for almost 2 sets before completely imploding. He actually didn't play badly at all vs Marin, Cilic just overwhelmed him.


He should look to build up his ranking during the first part of the year to avoid running into such hard opponents so early on and have a better chance to make great runs. 9-12 range is entirely possible with a good clay season since he has nothing to defend from last year.

Re: Kei Nishikori: Your Expectations for 2013
 

Kei will finish 2013 inside the Top 10. He'll be more consistent than in 2012, and the numbers of haters he has will grow exponentially. But he'll still finish the season like this:

Re: Kei Nishikori: Your Expectations for 2013
 

Kei having a fit full season? Dream on.

Re: Kei Nishikori: Your Expectations for 2013
 

If he manages to stay healthy, then i predict a top 10 finish, or just outside the top 10.

Re: Kei Nishikori: Your Expectations for 2013
 

I see you've picked his lightsabre colour already ;)

Re: Kei Nishikori: Your Expectations for 2013
 

Yeah, I mixed samurai sword and lightsaber together. It just had to be done. Realistically though, the #1 spot for him is very far away, and without a few awesome seasons, even impossible.

Re: Kei Nishikori: Your Expectations for 2013
 

A bit off topic, but while we are talking about your lightsaber thing.

Do different colour Sabers, mean different things?

Or is it just random?

Re: Kei Nishikori: Your Expectations for 2013
 

http://www.menstennisforums.com/show...5&postcount=29

Mostly what's here. It all corresponds to my view on the player's style of play, so many people may have different views, although I think I lean with the majority. I find Kei's style baseline with variation and an inch on net play, with a rather weak service game. White would be his color, but I combined it with samurai colors (making it all black and white) to make him unique. I did that to many of the players in my signature.

Kei will hardly be a number 1, so, the "final product" for my signature will probably never be made.:D

Re: Kei Nishikori: Your Expectations for 2013
 

Ah, i see. :yeah:

I thought it had something to do with style, but i wasn't sure.

Re: Kei Nishikori: Your Expectations for 2013
 

Kei as #1 one day would be awesome, but probably a pipe dream.

As for haters, you know you're doing something right when one of them is Action Jackson :yeah:

Re: Kei Nishikori: Your Expectations for 2013
 

Top 10. Full uninterrupted season. At least one slam Semi. One Masters title.

I'm probably being incredibly biased as a fan of his, but this is as sensible as I can get with predicting Kei.