TOKYO. Djokovic plays, but Kyrgios, Medvedev, Raonic, and Nishikori are out with injuries

Novak Djokovic will make his return to the court at the Rakuten Japan Open tennis championships next week. This will be the 32-year-old first event since he suffered a shoulder injury at the US Open. The Serbian will look to defend his current number one ranking from Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard could overtake him at the top by the end of the year.

First appearance 

Djokovic will be making his debut at the tournament. The Japan Open is the longest-running ATP tour event in Asia. The world number one will be looking to win the event and join the notable list of winners which includes Roger Federer, Nadal, and Andy Murray. The tournament will run from 30^th September to 6^th October. The Serbian has said he is looking forward to the tournament. The 16-time Grand Slam winner said he will use it as preparation for next year’s Olympic Games to be held in Tokyo. The Japan Open, however, has suffered some changes to its lineup after several star players withdrew from the event.

Notable absentees

The Australian will not be playing in the Asian swing of the ATP tour after withdrawing from the events due to a collarbone injury. The 24-year-old recently received a suspended 16-week suspension by the ATP for his behavior. The ban will have a probation period of 6 months and if he violates the code of behavior within that period, the 16-week suspension will take effect. US Open finalist Daniil Medvedev will also be absent from the Japan Open. The Russian player has reached five straight ATP tour finals this year. He recently won the St. Petersburg Open and decided to skip the tournament in order to have some rest. The 23-year-old will also skip the Chinese Open in Beijing. He is, however, expected to play at the Shanghai Masters.

Home favorite Kei Nishikori is another notable absentee. The 29-year old withdrew from the tournament because of an elbow injury. Stan Wawrinka and Milos Raonic have also confirmed their withdrawals from the event. With many absentees, Djokovic could be poised for a deep run in the tournament. He could face Belgian David Goffin who is currently ranked number 15. Other stars who will play at the tournament include Denis Shapovalov, Miomir Kecmanovic, and Alex de Minaur. The players will be looking to solidify their rankings ahead of the season ending tournaments in the next few weeks.

Novak Djokovic’s ranking and performance in 2019

Now the world no.1, Novak played his last match on the 1^st of September when he lost to Stan Wawrinka 6-4 7-5 2-1 ret. in the 4^th round in U.S. Open.

This year the Serbian has a 41-8 win-loss record. Novak clinched 3 titles in 2019 at the Australian Open, in Madrid and in Wimbledon. The Serbian was the finalist in Rome.

Nick Kyrgios’s ranking and performance in 2019

Ranked no.27, the Australian played his last match on the 25^th of September when he surrendered to Andreas Seppi 7-6⁵ 6-1 in the 1^st round in Zhuhai.

This year Kyrgios has a 21-14 win-loss record. Kyrgios clinched 2 titles in 2019 in Acapulco and in Washington.

Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios played each other 2 times. The head to head is 2-0 for Kyrgios.

The last time that they competed against each other, Nick Kyrgios won 6-4 7-6³ in the 4^th round in Indian Wells in March 2017.