Despite a 20-month absence from competition, Kei Nishikori has not missed a beat in his first six matches on the ATP Challenger Tour. Part of the reason why is that the Japanese star stayed connected to the sport.

“I was watching a lot of tennis actually. I thought that was a good idea to be mentally ready to play again,” Nishikori told ATPTour.com. “Also just to remind me how the top players are playing. And I can imagine playing tennis in the head.

“Twenty months was not a short time. I was just trying to be mentally fresh, not stressing too much every day.”

The 33-year-old, who this week is competing in the Cranbrook Tennis Classic in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, first returned to action last month at the Palmas del Mar Challenger in Puerto Rico, where he dropped just one set en route to the title.

Nishikori quickly found a high level to be crowned champion in Palmas del Mar, where he was playing his first tournament since the 2021 BNP Paribas Open. Throughout the Challenger 75 event, the former World No. 4 produced vintage down-the-line winners and showed deft feel from all corners of the court. By the end of the week, Nishikori had his hands around the trophy.

“That was surprising a lot. I was just expecting to just play one match and just kind of get a rhythm for it,” Nishikori said. “Somehow I played good in the first match and started getting more confident every match. In the final, I think I played pretty good tennis.

“Usually I struggle. I’ve come back many times from injury and it usually takes half a year to be 100 per cent. You lose the confidence, you lose the feeling of the ball, the way to move, you kind of lose everything.

“But luckily, I had a lot of time to practice. This time, I feel already that I’m like 70, 80 per cent. So I’m quite happy about the way I’m playing right now.”

What motivated Nishikori to make a comeback despite various injuries? The Japanese star’s eagerness to get back to the top of his game and have an opportunity to play some of the new faces in the sport.

“I had hip surgery, I sprained my ankle during these 20 months, and my shoulder was bad. So I had a couple of different injuries,” Nishikori said. “That was also why it was tough to maintain the motivation, but I just wanted to play tennis again and compete again. And especially watching Djokovic, Rafa still playing, fighting. And I haven’t played against [Carlos] Alcaraz, [Holger] Rune. That’s something I also can’t wait to play against them.”

After Bloomfield Hills, Nishikori will again compete on the ATP Challenger Tour next week in Chicago, Illinois. Later this month, he will return to ATP Tour action in Atlanta and Washington, D.C.

“I just need to play more matches,” Nishikori said. “I think I just need to play with those Top-50 players again. I just need to get used to playing with those guys and get confidence again. Overall I’m really happy with how I’m playing. I just need to focus and recover well.”

Nishikori will look to continue his comeback in winning fashion Thursday, when he faces third seed Denis Kudla at the Bloomfield Hills Challenger. Fans can live stream all ATP Challenger Tour matches for free and on demand on Challenger TV.

When Thursday’s Wimbledon order of play was released, one notable name was missing: World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. That is because of the rain that has wreaked havoc at SW19 early in the fortnight.

Alcaraz won his first-round match Tuesday against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy and will play another Frenchman, Alexandre Muller in the second round. If there had not been rain, the 20-year-old would have been scheduled for Thursday after one day off.

However, the rain has delayed other players in his section. None of Alcaraz’s potential third-round opponents have completed their first-round match yet. 

Nicolas Jarry, the 25th seed, trails Marco Cecchinato 4-6, 4-1. Jason Kubler leads Ugo Humbert 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. Both matches are scheduled second on Thursday.

It is not the only section rain has delayed. There are three first-round matches that have not begun yet: Alexander Zverev against Gijs Brouwer, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina against Arthur Fils and Botic van de Zandschulp against Zhang Zhizhen.

After losing a decisive tie-break to Stefanos Tsitsipas on Wednesday in the Wimbledon opening round, Dominic Thiem maintained a positive outlook. Following the match, a 3-6, 7-6(1), 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-6(10-8) win for the Greek, Thiem’s tournament is over — but he feels his comeback to the top of the ATP Tour is just beginning.

“Obviously it was a great encounter, and to me, I’m leaving with [my] head up,” the 29-year-old said in his post-match press conference. “It kind of showed me that I’m still there. The quality was very, very good. The fighting spirit was really, really good.

“This match showed me a lot of good things that I’m still here, still able to compete with the big boys of the game. Obviously it’s tough, but, well, a tie-break in the fifth is like a penalty shootout. All credit to him as well, how he played in the breaker, and how he saved that break point in the fifth was just unbelievable.”

While Thiem and Tsitsipas also played a final-set tie-break in Madrid earlier this year — again won by Tsitsipas — the Austrian felt more positive about their most recent Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.

“I needed that, because today also somehow felt different than in Madrid, for example, because the quality was really there today,” said the Austrian, who is now knotted with Tsitipas 5-5 in their series. “How I was feeling on the court in general was just how it should be, and that what makes me happy also looking to the next weeks.”

With his grass-court season now behind him, Thiem is excited to build his game further as the year continues.

“Today definitely I found [my level], and I’m hoping to keep it as well, on any level, on any surface,” he said. “The way I played and the way I stepped on court today, that’s just the only way it should be. I’m trying and working hard to keep it like that on all the remaining year.”

Fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas on Wednesday set a blockbuster second-round Wimbledon showdown with two-time champion Andy Murray when he battled past former World No. 3 Dominic Them in a roller-coaster five-setter played over two days.

Despite trailing by a set overnight — the match was suspended due to rain Tuesday seven games into the second set — Tsitsipas played well upon the resumption Wednesday, while his opponent faltered. The Greek appeared in full control up two sets to one and a break point in the first game of the fourth set, but he was made to overcome a spirited comeback from Thiem to escape 3-6, 7-6(1), 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-6 (10-8) after three hours and 55 minutes.

“It was pretty stressful, I won’t lie. We were out there, I don’t know how many hours… for a second I thought we were doing the repeat of Isner-Mahut,” Tsitsipas said in his on-court interview. “It felt forever. Obviously super glad that it went my way.

“Dominic is someone who has brought the best out of me every single time that we’ve had the opportunity to play each other. And it was quite frustrating at the same time. But this is tennis. I mean, we both fought hard today. We put out a show. Hope everyone enjoyed it.”

Tsitsipas was in dire straits at 3-3 in the deciding set, when his surging opponent, earned break point at 30/40. The 24-year-old hit a ball that was called long, but overruled by the chair umpire. Thiem challenged unsuccessfully and Tsitsipas was able to battle through the game to hold serve. 

From there, Tsitsipas, whose girlfriend and WTA star Paula Badosa was in his box after earning her own victory, clicked back into gear. The fifth seed was unable to convert a match point on return at 6-5, which Thiem saved with a heavy crosscourt forehand. He then missed another opportunity at 9/7 in the ensuing tie-break when he nervously left a ball short, allowing the Austrian to crush a forehand winner.

But the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion did not let slip his third opportunity, hitting a forehand passing shot for a winner to seal his win.

“Dominic is a tough competitor,” Tsitsipas said. “I wish him all the best in the future.”

With the win, Tsitsipas levelled his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Thiem at 5-5. Earlier this year in Madrid, the Greek triumphed in another final-set tie-break.

It will not get easier when Tsitsipas returns to action against former World No. 1 Murray, who lost just four games in his opening match against Ryan Peniston. The pair has split two previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings, including a five-setter Tsitsipas won at the 2021 US Open.

“I’m not expecting anyone’s support,” Tsitsipas said, eliciting roars of laughter from the crowd. “That’s not my first rodeo… I’ll share something with you, a few years ago when I was a kid, I remember witnessing his first Wimbledon title and thinking about it now kind of gives me goosebumps because I kind of felt what he went through during that final. And it was so difficult for him to close that last game and every time I rewatch that moment, I just feel shivers all over my body.”

Thiem, No. 91 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, is now 7-15 in 2023 and has won a match at just one major (2021 Australian Open, R16) since winning the 2020 US Open. But the Austrian will depart London with confidence after putting together one of his most encouraging performances of the season.

Ninth seed Taylor Fritz finally booked his spot in the second round at Wimbledon on Wednesday when he overcame Yannick Hanfmann in a five-set thriller that began on Monday.

After coming off for bad light with Fritz leading 3-2 in the fifth set on Monday night, the American and his German opponent had to wait until Wednesday to complete their clash due to rain. Competing on Court 2, Fritz came out firing upon the restart, gaining a quick break to advance 6-4, 2-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 after three hours and one minute.

“It is great. I am going to have to come back and play tomorrow. It rained all day yesterday and off and on today, so I really just wanted to get on court and play,” Fritz said. “I am glad I can just focus on the next match.”

With his 30th tour-level win of the season, Fritz avenged his defeat against Hanfmann in Rome in May. The 25-year-old, who struck 42 winners and broke the German four times, will next meet Mikael Ymer after the Swede beat Alex Molcan 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.

Fritz has fond memories at Wimbledon, having advanced to the quarter-finals in 2022 when he pushed Rafael Nadal to five sets. His best result this season was a run to his fifth tour-level title in Delray Beach.