Stefanos Tsitsipas will face former world number 3 Kei Nishikori in his first match at the Shanghai Masters, and with his current form, it’s going to be a very complicated matchup.
The Shanghai Masters is the penultimate Masters event of the year, making it one of the last chances for players to win some big points. Both Nishikori and Tsitsipas are in need of points as they aim to improve their rankings for next year.
The Greek player suffered a drop in rankings this year due to his poor performances. He dropped out of the Top 10 and generally hasn’t been anywhere close to his best level. At times, he has played well, but he is now out of the Top 8 for the ATP Finals, and a late push from him is to be expected.
Nishikori has played lots of tennis lately, which is good to see because with him, it’s all about staying healthy. If he can play consistently, he’s still a very good player, and this has been shown lately with some notable performances. This match will be quite interesting for a few different reasons.
On the one hand, we have two players searching for their best form, but Nishikori is generally a tricky opponent for Tsitsipas. He’s a skilled hitter who doesn’t rely on overwhelming power, but against Tsitsipas, he doesn’t even need it. That backhand is a juicy target, and you don’t need much force to hit through it.
Head-to-head:
Tsitsipas and Nishikori have played three times so far, with the Japanese player leading 2-1. The most notable of their matches was in Montreal, where Nishikori won 6-4, 6-4, which was quite the upset. He’ll have a very good chance to do it again, as he’s now playing even better.
Tsitsipas is also playing slightly better, but not by much. The most interesting part of this matchup will be how they adapt to the conditions on this specific court. The courts were super fast last year, but they don’t seem to be as fast this year, which could change the dynamics quite a bit.
Tsitsipas has a massive serve, but Nishikori knows how to counter that. The slightly slower conditions might give Tsitsipas an edge physically, as he might be able to extend the points. That’s not where Nishikori is at his best, but on the flip side, the Japanese player will have more time to set up his shots.
Overall, it promises to be a fascinating tactical matchup, and Nishikori seems to have the upper hand in that regard.
| Stefanos Tsitsipas | Kei Nishikori | |
| 1 | H2H | 2 |
| 12 | Rank | 153 |
| 26 | Age | 34 |
| 37-18 | 2024 W/L | 7-7 |
| 337-161 | Career W/L | 440-219 |
Prediction:
With that being said, it’s still very likely that Tsitsipas will find a way to win this match. He’s been playing slightly better recently, and with the amount of tennis Nishikori has played lately, there’s a good chance he might simply lack the energy for such a match. Nishikori certainly looked tired in his first match here.
Prediction: Tsitsipas in two.
