Nishikori overcomes nerves to win Tour Finals opener
The Japanese defeats home favourite Murray; Federer triumphs too
LONDON:
Japan's Kei Nishikori admitted he had to overcome a case of severe stage fright before marking his ATP Tour Finals with an impressive 6-4, 6-4 victory over Andy Murray.
Nishikori is the first Asian singles player to qualify for the prestigious season-ending tournament and he had the honour of playing in the opening match against former Wimbledon champion Murray on Sunday.
It was a proud moment for Nishikori but his emotions got the better of him when he walked on court in front of a capacity 17,500-crowd at London's O2 Arena.
After a tense start as he came to terms with his new surroundings, Nishikori eventually rose to the occasion and delivered a dominant display to defeat home favourite Murray.
"The stadium is huge and I tried not to look up too much because there were so many people on the top tier. I just tried to stay focused," Nishikori said.
"Maybe when I walked into the stadium I was nervous, but at the same time I was really excited to play with this crowd.
"I was thinking, I'm very honoured to be here for the first time as a top-eight player.
"I was a little bit tight in the beginning, so I was really happy that I played good tennis in this situation. I tried to stay calm when he was playing a little better. I got tight again honestly but I managed to play pretty solid at the end."
With matches against Roger Federer and Milos Raonic still to come, Nishikori has more work to do to reach the semi-finals but he sees no reason why he can't extend his stay in London beyond the group stage.
"I hope so. There is still a long way to going to the final and to win it, but that's what I'm trying to aim for," he said.
Federer sees off Raonic
Roger Federer opened his challenge for a seventh ATP Tour Finals crown in dominant fashion with a 6-1, 7-6 (7/0) victory over Canada's Milos Raonic on Sunday.
Federer last won the prestigious season-ending event at London's O2 Arena in 2011 and the world number two looks in the mood to add another title to his collection on the evidence of a powerful performance, featuring 24 winners, that avenged his loss to Raonic in the Paris Masters quarter-finals last month.
"I was very happy with how I performed,” said Federer. “The second set was much tougher. I don't think he played a great breaker but it was a great one to win.
"It's a small relief. We have a tough group here so it's always going to be hard advancing but it brings me a step closer."
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Japan's Kei Nishikori admitted he had to overcome a case of severe stage fright before marking his ATP Tour Finals with an impressive 6-4, 6-4 victory over Andy Murray.
Nishikori is the first Asian singles player to qualify for the prestigious season-ending tournament and he had the honour of playing in the opening match against former Wimbledon champion Murray on Sunday.
It was a proud moment for Nishikori but his emotions got the better of him when he walked on court in front of a capacity 17,500-crowd at London's O2 Arena.
After a tense start as he came to terms with his new surroundings, Nishikori eventually rose to the occasion and delivered a dominant display to defeat home favourite Murray.
"The stadium is huge and I tried not to look up too much because there were so many people on the top tier. I just tried to stay focused," Nishikori said.
"Maybe when I walked into the stadium I was nervous, but at the same time I was really excited to play with this crowd.
"I was thinking, I'm very honoured to be here for the first time as a top-eight player.
"I was a little bit tight in the beginning, so I was really happy that I played good tennis in this situation. I tried to stay calm when he was playing a little better. I got tight again honestly but I managed to play pretty solid at the end."
With matches against Roger Federer and Milos Raonic still to come, Nishikori has more work to do to reach the semi-finals but he sees no reason why he can't extend his stay in London beyond the group stage.
"I hope so. There is still a long way to going to the final and to win it, but that's what I'm trying to aim for," he said.
Federer sees off Raonic
Roger Federer opened his challenge for a seventh ATP Tour Finals crown in dominant fashion with a 6-1, 7-6 (7/0) victory over Canada's Milos Raonic on Sunday.
Federer last won the prestigious season-ending event at London's O2 Arena in 2011 and the world number two looks in the mood to add another title to his collection on the evidence of a powerful performance, featuring 24 winners, that avenged his loss to Raonic in the Paris Masters quarter-finals last month.
"I was very happy with how I performed,” said Federer. “The second set was much tougher. I don't think he played a great breaker but it was a great one to win.
"It's a small relief. We have a tough group here so it's always going to be hard advancing but it brings me a step closer."
Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.