Kei Nishikori's run to the U.S. Open final has left him "excited" about his performance, the Japanese player said.
Despite falling in his title bid, Nishikori became the first Asian man to reach a Grand Slam final. He entered the tournament having not played in three weeks because of a procedure to remove a cyst from his right foot. He defeated Wimbledon semifinalist Milos Raonic and Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka in back-to-back four-hour five-setters, then upset world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the semis.
But the 24-year-old admitted that pressure of the occasion affected him against Marin Cilic, who was also playing his first major final.
"You know, I was, I have to say, a little bit nervous. A little bit, you know. First final. I mean, even semis," said Nishikori. "But very excited these two weeks. You know, I didn't expect nothing coming here. Before I was, you know, injured and little practice. Yeah, there is so many positive things for sure that I can have from these two weeks beating Stan and, you know, Novak again.
"I think I showed my potential that I can beat anybody now. So if I can keep training hard and also practice hard, I think I will have more chances."
Nishikori was the biggest news story in Japan during the second week of the U.S. Open, with newspapers running special sections and a pay channel showing the tournament reporting an increase in subscriptions. Before Nishikori, Shuzo Matsuoka, who reached No. 46, was the highest-ranked Japanese man.
"You know, tennis has not been biggest sport in Japan. Women's, yes, but men never make this far. Really happy to make a lot of history and, you know, great compliments," he said.
Nishikori now wants to qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals in London, where the top eight players compete. He is currently sixth in the race to London.