LONDON — Kei Nishikori has shrugged off the pressure of being Japan's highest-seeded player at Wimbledon in the Open era and believes he is getting closer to the levels of the world's top players.
U.S. Open runner-up Nishikori is the fifth seed in the men's single at the All England Club, surpassing the seeding of compatriot Kimiko Date-Krumm, who was seeded sixth in the women's draw in 1994 and 1995.
Having reached the Australian and French Open quarter-finals this year, Nishikori is aiming to go at least one better than his career-best fourth-round exit at Wimbledon in 2014 when the tournament begins on Monday.