It may seem strange given the Canadian Open has barely finished, but a whole host of Cincinnati Open matches are already underway.
This is a result of their new format, which has seen both events condensed across a 12-day period.
Whether this is meant to maximise the benefits for the fans or the players remains to be seen, but many have questioned the decision.
Gauff offered the Cincinnati Open some advice after her experience in Montreal, as one of many high-profile names to point out problems with the system.
Regardless, at least for this year, it is what they must deal with, and so plenty of the Round of 128 matches have been played over the last few days.
Amongst all the chaos, a former Grand Slam finalist has already exited the competition.
Kei Nishikori loses on his return to tennis
It has been a tough year for the iconic veteran Kei Nishikori, who has seen injuries prohibit him from playing as often as he would have liked.
However, things were not helped when an off-court issue added another issue that prevented him from playing, with his last match coming in Geneva in early May.
Whether that has been fully sorted remains to be seen, but the Japanese tennis star confirmed he would be back in action at the Cincinnati Open after a three-month hiatus.
That spell away from tennis clearly did not help him though, as he has fallen in the very first round of this Masters 1000 event to Camilo Ugo Carabelli, losing in straight sets.
Despite that, Nishikori did hit a beautiful one-handed backhand winner, which has been widely shared on social media since.
What Novak Djokovic once said about Kei Nishikori
It’s a shame to see the former US Open finalist fall to yet another defeat, against a player that, in his prime years, he would have likely had no trouble beating.
At his best, Nishikori was a really well-respected player who held his own during the toughest period in men’s tennis to have played.
Novak Djokovic, one of the three most dominant players of that period, has been complimentary of the 35-year-old over the years.
In fact, in 2019, he was effusive in his praise for Nishikori, admitting before their Australian Open quarter-final showdown: “He’s a fighter. He’s a very talented player. One of the quickest players on the tour. You know, hard worker. I have lots of respect for him.
“We did play here several times. We actually played in the quarter-finals, I think, one year. You know, every year is different, so, you know, every match that you play against each other is different, so I expect him obviously to come out, to try something new.
“You know, I have beaten him many times that we played against each other in last couple of years and that we played on different surfaces. It was a couple of very close matches. Yeah, I expect a tough one.”
As his career winds down, it’s worth remembering the remarkable, energetic player that Nishikori was, rather than the struggling veteran many might now see him as.
