Frances Tiafoe enjoyed a very successful North American hardcourt swing, which included reaching the final of the Cincinnati Open and the semi-finals of the US Open.

As a result, Tiafoe heads into the ATP Tour’s Asian swing at a career-high ranking of world No 8 and he will be confident he can continue his good form at the Japan Open.

Tiafoe is the second seed at the Tokyo ATP 500 event, behind only Carlos Alcaraz, and he has been drawn against Kei Nishikori in the first round of the tournament.

Nishikori has received a wildcard at his home tournament and he is set to retire at the culmination of the event.

For Tiafoe, it’s a match he’s wanted for a very long time.

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Speaking at the Washington Open, where Nishikori also received a wildcard, Tiafoe said: “I’m a big fan of Kei. Through and through, he’s one of the nicest guys. A great player, a hell of a career. Obviously this is his last year and a wild card here and playing.

“It’s been fun to watch him play for so many years. We’ve gotten really close over the years. Yeah, I mean, him retiring is kind of crazy. Makes me feel like I’m obviously getting old.

“To hear him say it’s my 10th appearance, and it’s wild to see that he’s calling it a career pretty soon. He’s one of — obviously, in Japan it doesn’t get much bigger than him. Maybe Ohtani. He’s a special athlete and a special guy.”

Tiafoe said that he was hoping to play the Japanese star before he hung up his racket, which will now be happening in Tokyo.

“I hope he enjoys the rest of the year, and yeah, I hope I get to play him,” continued Tiafoe. “I got to beat him, because we only played once, and he beat me back in the day, so I want to beat him on the way out, for sure.”

That match came at the Vienna Open in 2018 as the pair met in the round of 32 at the indoor hardcourt tournament.

They played out a very competitive match which went the distance, with Nishikori taking the decider by a scoreline of 6-2.

The Japanese star reached the final of the tournament that year, but he was beaten in straight sets by Kevin Anderson.

Nishikori will end his career having won 21 career titles, including the Washington Open, the Japan Open, and the Brisbane International.

He never claimed a Masters or Grand Slam title, although he reached the final of the 2014 US Open, as well as the 2014 Madrid Open, the Miami Open and the Canadian Open in 2016, and the 2018 Monte Carlo Masters.