OSAKA, JAPAN - SEPTEMBER 14: Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan plays a forehand in his singles match against Mirza Basic of Bosnia and Herzegovina during day one of the Davis Cup World Group Play-off between Japan and Bosnia & Herzegovina at Utsubo Tennis Center on September 14, 2018 in Osaka, Japan. (Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images)

Yoshihito Nishioka was on his way to a top 50 ranking last year when he had to call it a season because of a torn ACL. Playing qualifying matches for ATP events and contesting in challengers didn’t really help; many tournaments resulted in retirements. However, Nishioka has now found another breakthrough: an ATP final.

It truly is a story of grit and determination. Nishioka’s playing style is heavily dependent on his return and retrieval skills, which means his style of play is very taxing on the body.

His journey from 2017

Nishioka was playing some fine tennis in 2017. Pushing an in-form Nadal to a tiebreaker, beating Tomas Berdych and Ivo Karlovic and getting very close to beating Stan Wawrinka: he was playing great tennis and moving up the ranks quickly. However, during his match against Jack Sock in Miami, he tore his ACL, which led to Nishioka calling it quits on the rest of the season.

Troublesome comeback

Nishioka returned for the Australian Open where he reached the second round. Several challengers and small ATP tournaments followed. Several of these matches would end in a retirement because of the nagging issue with his ACL. He pushed Verdasco to 5 sets in the French Open despite being visibly injured for periods of the match.

The US Open saw Nishioka playing against Federer. Losing in straight sets, there’s a possibility that the match played a role (similar to Nadal vs Basilashvili in the 2017 French Open) in what can only be described as a triumphant resurgence.

Chengdu Final

Aside from having to go through qualifying (that’s two qualifiers in an ATP final this week!) to make the main draw, some of Nishioka’s scalps include Denis Shapovalov and Fernando Verdasco. With Pierre Hugues Herbert next, Nishioka will have to return the ball (Herbert is an excellent server) well to clinch his first title.

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Regardless of whether he wins or loses, Nishioka will be content with his progress so far and will be looking to further improve on his comeback in the coming weeks.