Japan’s Kei Nishikori Wednesday said he’s still years away from his peak after a breakthrough Australian Open that will push him into the top 20 for the first time. The impressive Nishikori became the first Japanese man in the open era to reach the Melbourne quarter-finals thanks to his shock win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, but Britain’s Andy Murray proved a step too far. Speaking after his 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 defeat to the fourth seed on Rod Laver Arena, Nishikori, seeded 24th in Melbourne, said he was delighted with his tournament. And Nishikori, the highest-placed Japanese man in rankings history, is projected to be ranked 20th when the next list is released on January 30. “That’s exciting news for me because my first goal was to get top 20… it was a fantastic week for me. Now I’ll try to get to the top 15,” he said. The 22-year-old, currently ranked 26th, said while he was getting stronger he was still a few years away from his maximum strength.
