Tennis Star Delays Trip To US Open After Testing Positive For COVID-19

The upcoming U.S. Open is drawing near, as the warm-up tournament Western and Southern Open us set to push through for top players to get ready for the major tournament. Unfortunately for one of Japan’s top players, Kei Nishikori, he will have to delay his trip to the hard courts after testing positive for COVID-19.

The high-energy player has constantly found himself as a favored performer throughout his career. The unique style of play coupled with his tremendous consistency has labeled him as one of the top players in the world. While he hasn’t won a Grand Slam and is ranked lower than the rising stars of the game, he is still holding a possible chance of making a deep impact in any major he participates in. In 2015, the 30-year-old managed to reach the highest ranking of his career where he emerged as number four in the world.

This year’s US Open will be unique as it’s the first time since 1999 that Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will not be playing in a Grand Slam. With players such as Nishikori with 12 ATP titles won throughout his career, his veteran experience holds a heavy bearing in this year’s draw.

It is an unfortunate circumstance that he will be delayed in preparing for the tournament as his test results came back as positive. While he’s not feeling any major symptoms of the virus, he continues to be in isolation and ensures to follow the standard pandemic protocols.

“I am feeling well and have very little symptoms but will obviously be in complete isolation for the safety of everyone,” Nishikori said by way of NBC Sports.

The plan was for Nishikori to fly to New York to begin preparations for the tournament. This has been set aside for now and his team will provide an update on Friday.

The pandemic has caused abrupt changes in the tennis schedule and has offered one of the more unique circumstances in the sports’ history. With Novak Djokovic’s participation in the Western and Southern Open, the Serbian star is seen as a favorite to win this year’s US Open. It will be interesting to see how the upcoming major turns out with everything that has been happening to the world regarding the global pandemic.