Photo: Peter Power – Tennis Canada
On Thursday, Tennis Canada announced that former World No.4 Kei Nishikori of Japan was awarded a wild card into the main draw of the National Bank Challenger in Calgary from November 6 to 13 and in Drummondville from November 13 to 20. Nishikori is returning to tennis after a hip injury that has kept him away from the game since October 2021.
The former finalist at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers (2016) and the US Open (2014) has won 12 ATP titles and more than 25 M$ in prize money, and also competed in 14 finals in his career. Bronze medalist at the 2016 Olympics, he’s one of the rare players on tour who has recorded wins over all members from the Big Three, namely Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Coached by former World No.2 and French Open Champion (1989) Michael Chang and former Top 20 player Max Mirnyi, he earned his most recent title in Brisbane, Australia, in 2019.
“We’re thrilled to have Kei at our tournaments,” jointly said Alain Caillé, tournament president in Drummondville, and Danny Da Costa, tournament director in Calgary. “He’s been one of the most prolific players on the Tour since the start of his career, and even though he’s coming back from a major injury, he remains a very talented player. We’re looking forward to seeing him play again in Canada, and there’s no doubt our fans will be, too.”
The 32-year-old will receive one of three wild cards to enter the main draw of each event. The names of the other wild cards will be announced a week before the start of the tournaments. The list of players, which will likely include several Canadians, will be released two to three weeks ahead of time.
Tickets and broadcasts
To purchase tickets, go to the official websites of the tournaments:
- Calgary National Bank Challenger: http://calgary.nationalbankchallenger.com/ticket-info/
- Drummondville National Bank Challenger: http://drummondville.challengerbanquenationale.com/billets-programmation-et-information/
The matches will be streamed. Fans can click on the following link to catch all the action featuring some of the brightest up-and-comers in men’s tennis: https://www.atptour.com/en/atp-challenger-tour/challenger-tv.
