Don’t be sad, Japan’s Date-Krumm tells Nishikori
Veteran Japanese tennis star Kimiko Date-Krumm said on Tuesday she had sent losing US Open finalist Kei Nishikori a text message telling him he should be proud of his Grand Slam exploits.
“I sent him a text message,” Date-Krumm told reporters in Hong Kong, where she was competing in a WTA event.
“I said don’t be sad because it was a big, big success. Try to go to the next stage.”
Date-Krumm, 43, said Nishikori had replied saying he’d been nervous before the match.
Not since Date-Krumm reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in 1996 has Japanese tennis witnessed anything close to Nishikori’s heroics.
Nishikori’s previous best Grand Slam performance had been in reaching the last eight of the 2012 Australian Open.
Not since Date-Krumm reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in 1996 has Japanese tennis witnessed anything close to Nishikori’s heroics in New York.
“For a Japanese player to get to the final is a big, big success,” Date-Krumm said.
“Kei is not a big guy. He has so much talent but it’s not easy.”
Source: AFP
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