Project 45? Check. Project Ten? Check. Project One and Grand Slam Champion? In progress. Kei Nishikori’s road to becoming a Grand Slam champion and world number one is nearly complete, well the Grand Slam part. At last year’s US Open, Kei Nishikori made an impressive run to the US Open final, but in the end, was defeated by Marin Cilic in straight sets. It’s been a long, difficult road for the Japanese number one, but with the sun-setting on the" Big Four" era, his time is now.

At a young age, Nishikori moved to the United States to train at the IMG Academy. The initial goal for him was described as Project 45. It was named Project 45 because the highest ranked Japanese player ever at that point, Shuzo Matsuoka, was ranked 46th. Clearly, the goal was for him to pass this, and hopefully take on bigger and better goals. However, Nick Bollettieri, proclaimed that the goal should be Project 10 due to Nishikori’s potential.

In 2008, he would win his first career ATP title at Delray Beach, but injuries and inconsistent play for the next three years made us question if he would ever reach his potential, let alone Project 45. It was late in 2011 thanks to his first Masters semifinal in Shanghai, he would go on to complete Project 45 by moving up to 30th in the world. Since his completion of Project 45, the pressure on Nishikori’s shoulders has dropped a notch, now allowing him to play freely instead of thinking about that goal. The rise up continued the following year with his first career Grand Slam quarterfinals appearance at the Australian Open and his second career ATP title at the Japan Open. The title in Japan was special not just because it was on home soil, but because he was the first Japanese player to win the title in its history.

2013 saw Nishikori win a third career ATP title in Memphis, but injuries slowed him once again. Last year however, would be his most decorated year to date in terms of career achievement. The first move of his was hiring Michael Chang. Michael Chang was a French Open champion in 1989, helping to set off a small wave of tennis popularity in Asia. A semifinals appearance in Miami following another title in Memphis gave him a phenomenal start to the season. The strong season continued with his first title on clay at Barcelona, and what could have been his first career Masters in Madrid, but a back injury forced him to retire in the third set of the final against Rafael Nadal.

Following his fourth round loss at Wimbledon, Nishikori took time off before the US Open to make sure the same back injury that was nagging him in Madrid would be fully healed up. Many people did not think he would be a threat for the US Open title due to skipping Masters events in Canada and Cincinnati, but he would prove the doubters wrong. He defeated Milos Raonic and Stan Wawrinka in back-to-back five-setters and would defeat Novak Djokovic in four sets to set up a finals showdown with Marin Cilic. Cilic would win the US Open in straight sets, but the experience and knowing he was able to get there is something that will last with him for a lifetime. Titles in Malaysia and Japan and a semifinals appearance at the Paris Masters earned him a berth in the ATP World Tour Finals making him the first Asian man to get there. He finished the season ranked fifth.

This year so far, Kei Nishikori has added more titles in Memphis and Barcelona to follow-up a quarterfinals appearance in Melbourne. With Madrid, Rome, and the French Open looming, these could be Nishikori’s best shots at a Masters and a Grand Slam title this year. His speed and backhand for his size are unparalleled and playing on the clay gives him more time to react and get to shots that would be otherwise difficult to get on grass and hard courts. The title in Barcelona should give him confidence heading into these three major tournaments on the clay circuit. Other than Djokovic, Nishikori is the most inform player on the tour right now.  Watch your back Novak, Nadal isn’t your only threat at the French, Kei Nishikori is as well.

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Noel John Alberto
Filipino-American sports journalist from Toms River, NJ. UMBC Graduate and aspiring physical therapist. Tennis editor and multi-sport coordinator for VAVEL USA. Writer for Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Serie A sections of VAVEL UK. Sports aficionado. Host of the On The Line tennis podcast.