"I was overwhelmed" - Kei Nishikori explains why he shed a tear for Roger Federer at recent Tokyo fan event
The reception Roger Federer received from the crowd at a recent fan event in Tokyo left Kei Nishikori, who was also present at the event, overwhelmed. He was seen shedding a tear after Federer greeted him with a video of the sequence uploaded by fellow professional Misaki Doi.
Later, while speaking to the media, Nishikori explained why he shed a tear for the legendary Swiss, whom he considers his idol.
"I was overwhelmed by the atmosphere and also my admiration for him. After that I've started considering him an opponent to beat though he is my idol," Nishikori said.
The former US Open runner-up described how the Swiss maestro's matches are always entertaining courtesy of his remarkable array of jaw-dropping shots.
"His matches are fun, cool, filled with amazing shots, just perfect. That's something all of us admire," he added.
くぅーーーーっ！ https://t.co/QTssnAVMbL
Kei Nishikori and Roger Federer were joined by wheelchair tennis stars Shingo Kunieda and Gordon Reid at the fan event, which was hosted by their sponsor Uniqlo. All four graced the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo and were given a magnificent reception by the fans.
Nishikori heaped further praise on the 20-time Grand Slam champion while speaking to the media, describing how the Swiss is "cool" and "funny" both on and off the court.
"Roger is quite the same on & off the court, very cool on the court, funny & cool off the court too, I don't have any his (embarrassing/funny) episode... Had training block w/him when I was 16 or 17, that was really great experience for me, I'm grateful for that," the Japanese said.
Kei "Roger is quite the same on & off the court, very cool on the court, funny & cool off the court too, I don't have any his (embarrassing/funny) episode... Had training block w/him when I was 16 or 17, that was really great experience for me, I'm grateful for that"
#Federer https://t.co/hlbFmJXPNK
Federer and Nishikori shared a hilarious moment when the former played some exhibition doubles tennis during the fan event. Nishikori, who served as the chair umpire throughout the match, asked the Swiss to elaborate on why he was sporting a Rolex watch while playing.
The 41-year-old cheekily responded by saying:
"It's a look, post-retirement look," he said.
The interpreter of the event decided to get one up on the Swiss as he provided an intentionally wrong and hilarious translation in Japanese:
"Roger says 'it's for show-off," said the interpreter in Japanese.
Kei asks Roger if it's not distracting to play wearing his Rolex.
#Federer "It's a look, post-retirement look" #LifeWearDay2022 @wowowtennis https://t.co/cwioRlnfbt
Interpreter "Roger says 'it's for show-off'" (in Japanese) lol
"When I played him for the first time in Basel, he slayed me so easily" - Kei Nishikori on his first match against Roger Federer
Kei Nishikori lavished praise on Roger Federer's attacking style of tennis during his media interaction.
"Roger takes the ball very early, quickest on offense, you can't lower your guard on any single point," Nishikori said.
Nishikori, who lost eight of his 11 career meetings against the Swiss, asserted that he learned a lot from the Swiss even in the defeats. He also recalled how Federer gave him a beatdown (6-1, 6-3 in the final) when the two first faced each other on tour.
"All matches against him are impressive. I lost in many of them but it's huge experience to play him, I learned much from every match. When I played him for the first time in Basel, he slayed me so easily, like, it flew by in 10 min," he added.