Kei Nishikori's time will come, says close friend Kimiko Date-Krumm
It's just a matter of time before Kei Nishikori wins a grand slam, says close friend Kimiko Date-Krumm who believes the "sheer talent" of her countryman will bring him more success.
Date-Krumm, who yesterday won her opening round match at the Prudential Hong Kong Open, revealed she had sent a congratulatory text soon after the dream had ended in New York for Nishikori.
I told him, 'Don't be sad because what you have achieved is already a big success and that you must be proud of yourself'
"What Kei achieved is huge. He is not a big guy but he has a lot of talent. He is so much fitter and to beat big guys like Stan Warwinka and Novak Djokovic takes something.
"When I met him during the first week of the tournament, he was complaining about his foot injury and didn't think he could go far but then once the wins started to come he started to believe and grew in confidence," said Date-Krumm.
The evergreen of Japanese tennis - she turns 44 on September 28 - said Nishikori's success would inspire more Japanese and Asians to play tennis.
"Nobody thought Asians could win a grand slam, but Li Na did it and Kei became the first male player from Asia to reach a slam final."