Kei Nishikori, who has been sidelined since August with a wrist injury, has withdrawn from the 2018 ATP World Tour season opener where he had hoped to make his comeback, tournament organizers said Friday.
Brisbane International said on its official Twitter account that Nishikori will miss the event at Queensland Tennis Center, which starts on New Year's Eve, adding a message from the tennis star whose season was cut short after he tore a tendon in his right wrist.
"I am so disappointed to miss Brisbane this year," Nishikori was quoted as saying.
"For years it's been my first tournament of the season and I always feel so at home there. I really look forward to coming back to Brisbane in the future."
Nishikori reached fourth in the men's singles world rankings in March but missed the U.S. Open, the last Grand Slam of the season, and fell to 22nd in November. He finished the season without a title for the first time in six years.
