Kei Nishikori comes to Vienna as Taylor Fritz’s replacement

Unfortunately, Taylor Fritz will not be coming to the Erste Bank Open in Vienna. The sixth in the world rankings has to cancel his start in the Wiener Stadthalle due to a muscle injury.

The American would have been number three in the ATP 500 tournament.

However, the organizers can present a prominent replacement: Kei Nishikori will receive a wild card for the Erste Bank Open.

“Kei Nishikori is still a superstar”

The Japanese former world number four is fighting for his connection after several operations, most recently a hip operation in January 2022, and is currently number 143 in the ranking. Quarterfinals at the ATP 1000 tournament in Montreal and most recently in Tokyo are evidence of an upward trend for the 34-year-old.

“Kei Nishikori is still a superstar in the tennis circuit who enjoys absolute cult status in his native Japan,” says tournament boss Herwig Straka. He is also pleased about the further increase in TV interest: his tournament will be broadcast in almost 200 countries worldwide – more than ever before.

In 2018, Nishikori reached the final of the Erste Bank Open. There, however, he had to admit defeat to the South African Kevin Anderson.