Nishikori eyes first Grand Slam next year post Tour Finals breakthrough

Japanese tennis ace Kei Nishikori is of the opinion that his strong display at the ATP Tour Finals would provide him the perfect springboard to win his first Grand Slam crown next year.

Nishikori enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in 2014 as the Japanese star reached his maiden Grand Slam final at the US Open and became the first Asian singles player to qualify for the prestigious season-ending Tour Finals after climbing to fifth in the world rankings.

Nishikori, who lost to Croat Marin Cilic in the final in New York, used the Tour Finals spotlight to prove once again that he can compete with the very best as he made the semifinals thanks to wins over Andy Murray and David Ferrer, Sport24 reported.

Although his campaign ended with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-0 defeat against world number one Novak Djokovic in the last four on Saturday, even that was an encouraging experience for Nishikori, who was closer to victory than the scoreline suggested after becoming the first player to take a set off the Serb since October.

Now Nishikori would embark on a rigorous off-season training schedule motivated by the growing belief that he can make a significant challenge for the first major of 2015 at the Australian Open in January.

He said that it was one of the best years for him, adding that surely he has to do well this off-season. He admitted that he I has to train well and be injury-free again.

Nishikori believes that he would have a lot of chance in the big tournaments, especially Grand Slams. Hopefully he said that he could come back to a final again.