Kei Nishikori makes coaching appointment as he hopes for big 2020 bounce

Kei Nishikori has made a coaching addition by appointing Max Mirnyi to his team ahead of the 2020 season.

Nishikori said last month that he was looking for a ‘new voice’ for next year, which is clearly a significant one for him with the Olympics being held in Tokyo.

That is an area in which Mirnyi has experience and can help, with the Bulgarian a former Olympic gold-medal winner in the mized doubles.

“Excited to announce that Max Mirnyi will join the coaching team (with Michael Chang) full-time in 2020! Excited what the future holds,” Nishikori announced on social media.

Nishikori has had a troubled couple of years as injury has began to blight his consistency.

He held firm in the Grand Slams, reaching the quarter-finals at the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon. He also won a title in Brisbane.

However, he hasn’t played since the US Open due to undergoing surgery on an elbow injury.

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”I am excited about the opportunity to have a chance and help Kei,” Mirnyi said.

“I have known Kei for a long time from the days of my active playing career. Training and spending a lot of time at the IMG Academy in Bradenton.

“So, I hope that this progression will be natural for both of us personally and on a professional level.”

Nishikori’s ranking has suffered as a result of his injury, with him dropping out of the top ten in the year-end list.

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