Last week EA SPORTS was pleased to welcome Japanese tennis phenom Kei Nishikori to its Tiburon studio in Orlando, Florida. Nishikori visited EA SPORTS to try out its new tennis game Grand Slam Tennis. He first took a few practice swings on a Roland Garros practice court and once he got a feel for the motions, Nishikori jumped right into a match. His first choice? Centre Court at Wimbledon versus Pete Sampras.
“He was one of my heroes and I just wanted to play against him,” said Nishikori.
He said it was “a weird feeling” to see himself in the video game. But added, “I like it. I was thinking about it the past couple months that I’m in the game. It was one of my dreams so I’m pretty happy.”
While this was his first time playing the Wii, Nishikori is no stranger to video games, having played Playstation 3 numerous times.
“This is the first time I’ve ever played the Wii and the first time I’ve played this game but it felt so real. It was fun because you swing with your arm, it was good exercise to play the game.”
Grand Slam Tennis was designed and developed by EA Canada to be the deepest tennis gaming experience and Nishikori said it felt like a realistic experience on the court. He would hold the Wii remote with two hands when hitting his backhand.
“I didn’t think anything of it; I just played tennis because it feels like real tennis,” said Nishikori. “I didn’t know you can hit spins, slice, drop shots and all the shots so it felt real. And the guy looks just like me.”
As one of the cover athletes for the Japanese version of the game, Nishikori joins an illustrious group of superstars who have graced the cover of an EA SPORTS Game. On the Japanese cover, he’s flanked by Rafael Nadal and John McEnroe, an honour that wasn’t lost on him.
“Honestly I felt a little bad because I’m in the middle between Nadal and McEnroe and those two guys are legends and unbelievable players. But I’m still happy to be on the cover.”
After playing Sampras, Nishikori selected Nadal, perhaps a rematch from their 3-setter at Queen’s Club last summer, a match he remembers well.
“I was so nervous to play against Nadal because he was number two at that time. I practiced with him about 4 years ago and I felt like there was no way I could beat him and a couple years later I played him. I was so happy to play against him and I played awesome. I lost in three sets but I remember that was a good match. Maybe I can get revenge in this game and hopefully I can win next time.”
After enjoying the game, recording some promo spots, doing a photo shoot and a radio interview for EA SPORTS, it was back to business for the Japanese star.
“I have to practice this afternoon but hopefully later I can go to the beach and go shopping.”
That’s something he’s able to do a bit more easily in the U.S. because in Japan, Nishikori is like a rock star, having to be accompanied by security at all times.
“I cannot walk in the streets or even outside during a tennis tournament. I don’t feel it here in the U.S. but when I got back to Japan it’s crazy.”
Nishikori finished 2008 ranked #63 in the world after starting the year #289. Last year he received the "Newcomer of the Year" award, which was voted on by all the players on the ATP Tour.
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