Nishikori: 'Tennis has no one like Alcaraz'

"Alcaraz looks like Nadal, but he's obviously faster. I don't think we've ever seen a player like Alcaraz," Nishikori said as he attended the Atlanta Open in the US this week, which marked his comeback after 21 months of convalescence.

According to Nishikori, Alcaraz defends as persistently as Nadal, but has a better speed than his compatriot. This quality helps the number one player in the world to change his state more quickly and transform, instead of holding the court like Nadal.

"Alcaraz's left, forehand, and miss are all good," added Nishikori. "His arrival, along with Sinner and Rune, is the motivation for me to come back. I hope to have the opportunity to play against them soon to test myself."

Nishikori spent nearly two years struggling with hip and ankle injuries, so he dropped out of the world's top 400. The Japanese tennis player had an impressive comeback in Atlanta this week, winning two matches in a row to reach the quarterfinals against Taylor Fritz.

"My hip wasn't as bad as Murray's. The surgery gave me a chance to come back instead of having to use a metal hip," Nishikori said of the injury. "I also had a muscle tear, but luckily it was done before things got worse. I decided to take a break for a while to hedge."

Nishikori is expected to play at the Citi Open, before returning to the US Open - where he lost to Marin Cilic in the 2014 final. It will be Nishikori's first Grand Slam after two absences.

On all four Grand Slams, Nishikori has at least reached the quarterfinals. The Japanese tennis player also has 12 ATP titles, a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games and ranks 17th in the list of players receiving the most prize money in history.