Berrettini, Cilic, Nishikori nominated for Comeback of the Year in 2024 | ATP Tour

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Berrettini, Cilic, Nishikori nominated for Comeback of the Year in 2024

The three demonstrated their resilience to stand out this season on the ATP Tour

December 04, 2024

They are back.

Matteo Berrettini, Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori have been protagonists for years on the ATP Tour and their talent has been visible to the entire world. But their effort in 2024 served to show another side of these great stars, since their resilience was evident in a course in which they made a great rise in the PIF ATP Rankings. This has helped them to be nominated in the ATP awards as Comeback of the Year.

Nominees for Comeback Player of the Year are chosen by the IWTA, the International Tennis Journalists Association. The winner is chosen by the players based on this list.

The ATP Awards winners will be announced during ‘Awards Week’, which begins this Monday, December 9.

Matteo Berrettini
Berrettini finished the 2023 season with an ankle injury that forced him to withdraw in the second round of the US Open. After starting to work with Francisco Roig, the Italian returned to competition at the Australian Open, but retired before taking to the court in the first match.

At No. 154 in the PIF ATP Rankings, his lowest position of the season, he returned to the court in March to play at the ATP Challenger Tour tournament in Phoenix, where he reached the final. After losing in three sets to Murray in Miami, the Italian vindicated himself again on the ATP Tour by winning the ATP 250 in Marrakech.

It was the first of the three ATP 250 titles that the Italian won this year, as he also won the crowns in Gstaad and Kitzbühel – all on clay – which allowed him to raise the trophies he has in his record to 10. He also reached the final round in Stuttgart (on grass), posting a match record of 32-12.

“When you can’t do your job and what you like, it’s always a problem. So I really appreciate every moment I can spend on the court, to perform and give my best version,” he said at a press conference at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. “I know it’s a process. “I did a great job this year to get my ranking back and I feel good.”

Berrettini closed out 2024 helping Italy defend its Davis Cup crown, scoring two crucial singles victories in the final two rounds.

Marin Cilic
Cilic, who suffered a knee injury in 2023, attempted to return to the ATP Tour at the start of the season. But after four winless games, he made the difficult decision to undergo knee surgery in May.

“My desire to play at the highest level again has not wavered; On the contrary, he is stronger than ever,” Cilic wrote on social networks, after undergoing surgery. “The journey over the last 15 months has been challenging, but I am motivated to return.”

After success in rehabilitation, his new attempt to return to the circuit occurred in August. After testing his legs in two ATP Challenger Tour tournaments, the Croatian surprised the world by winning the ATP 250 in Hangzhou, defeating Top 50 stars such as Brandon Nakashima and Zhang Zhizhen in the semifinals and final, respectively.

He entered the tournament, thanks to an invitation, as No. 777 in the PIF ATP Rankings and became the lowest-ranked champion in ATP Tour history.

“It has been a difficult period for me in the last few months. I lost my ranking and I haven’t played much,” Cilic said before thanking the tournament for the invitation. After falling out of the Top 1,000 of the PIF ATP Rankings at the beginning of 2024, Cilic rose more than 800 positions to finish the course inside the Top 200.

Kei Nishikori
After eight months out, Nishikori played his first tournament of the 2024 season at the ATP Masters 1000 in Miami. Although he suffered a tough loss in the first round against Sebastian Ofner, he was optimistic about his return.

“I never lose that motivation. It’s always there. For some reason that I can’t explain, but the motivation is always there,” Nishikori said at the press conference after the match. “I want to get my tennis back.”

After winning a match at Roland Garros, participating in Wimbledon and representing Japan at the Paris Olympics, the 34-year-old returned to a quarterfinal at the ATP Masters 1000 in Montreal, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas. He reached the quarterfinals again at home in Tokyo, before finishing the season with two great performances on the ATP Challenger Tour, where he capped off 2024 with a title.

Nishikori’s joy at returning to professional tennis has been evident this season. In Montreal, after defeating #NextGenATP American Alex Michelsen in the first round, he was almost laughing as he looked at his team at how well they had closed out the match.

“Sometimes I surprise myself,” he joked. “It was different when I was young. I feel like I’m enjoying it a little more, because I value where I am now.”