Kei Nishikori pulls a straight shot to Jannik Sinner’s face.

Kei Nishikori’s words.

Kei Nishikori has no doubts: “Among the young players like Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Casper Ruud, Alcaraz is the only one I would like to play with. I want to hear what his shots are like; I’m curious to see how much they could blow me away. His forehand looks really explosive, one of the best ten ever. Delpo’s has traumatized me over the years, but I think Carlos’s can be comparable to his. Plus, he’s not only powerful, but he’s good at the net and short balls.”

Nishikori, who is out of action due to injury, also spoke to Japanese TV about the phenomena of his generation: “Nadal was given up for a long time because of injuries, then this year he wins you Australian Open, Roland Garros and makes semifinals at Wimbledon. Just unbelievable. I’m very inspired by his resilience. Although we are at different levels, he pushes me to try to come back better than before. Djokovic has a very solid style of play, and also given his enormous talent, it’s no wonder he’s still so high in the rankings.”