Japanese Tennis veteran Kei Nishikori lauds Novak Djokovic for being too good against him at the Tokyo Olympics

Novak Djokovic continues his run at the Tokyo Olympics with relative ease as he dominated local favourite, Kei Nishikori and even bageled him to progress to the next round. He won 6-2, 6-0 and progresses to the semifinals where he will be up against Germany’s Alexander Zverev.

The Serbian will feature in the semifinals of the Summer Games for the third time and with this win, he also keeps his hopes and wishes of Calendar Golden Slam alive. The 34-year-old was once again at his best, not allowing the Japanese to settle and win any points. Djokovic gave nothing away and in the end, it turned into a humiliation for Nishikori.

Speaking after the game, the Japanese claimed how good Djokovic was and also rued the chances that he missed by not putting up better numbers on his serve.

“Djokovic was just too strong, I couldn’t do anything, I feel frustrated at that,” Nishikori said, as per a translation provided by Twitter handle @seiadoumogera. “Failing to make many 1st serves, I didn’t get my rhythm, had a bad start on my serve in both sets and he put pressure on me every time. The way he (Novak Djokovic) played today, this week and the last two months is amazing.”

The 2016 Olympics Bronze medallist admitted that he had a solid Summer Games campaign despite getting owned by Djokovic on this round. “It’s a tough loss for sure, but it was a good week,” Nishikori added. “I’ve got that good feeling back for the first time in a while, played some good matches and takes many positives despite the defeat.”

The current Tokyo Olympics is happening behind a closed door without the access of fans from all corners of the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But as he was playing at home, the locals supported him. He apologised for not putting up a fight.

“Under such difficult circumstances I can play with support from many people, I’m grateful for that, but I feel sorry that I couldn’t repay the support with a good result, I will try again next time,” he added.