Kei Nishikori, former world No. 4 in tennis, announces plans to retire at end of season

Kei Nishikori was a pioneer for tennis in Japan, helping boost the sport's profile across Asia. Kiyoshi Ota / Getty Images for ITF Share articleKei Nishikori, a former world No. 4 and the first man from Asia to reach a Grand Slam final, announced his impending retirement from professional tennis Thursday. The Japanese star, 36, said he will step away at the end of the 2026 season, 20 years after turning pro. With his career record currently at 451-231, Nishikori is the only Japanese tennis player to cross the 450-win threshold. “Since I was a child, I have been passionate about tennis, and I have continued to pursue it with only one dream in my heart: ‘I want to compete on the world stage,’” he wrote in a social media post. “Reaching the ATP Tour, playing at the highest level of competition, and maintaining a presence in the Top 10 is something I am extremely proud of. Whether in victory or defeat, the special atmosphere I felt in packed arenas is irreplaceable.” Nishikori has won 12 titles, collecting more than $26 million in prizes. That haul is the 21st highest in history. He also represented Japan at the 2016 Rio Olympics and defeated Rafael Nadal to win bronze in singles. The pinnacle of Nishikori’s career came in 2014, when he reached No. 4 and upset then-world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the U.S. Open semifinals. That win earned him his only Grand Slam final appearance, where he lost to Marin Čilić of Croatia in straight sets. Nishikori won four tour-level titles and posted a 54-14 record that season. A tennis pioneer, Nishikori is credited with helping the sport become significantly more popular in Japan, and he was known for drawing massive crowds to tournaments in areas with large Asian populations. He shares that distinction with Li Na of China, who became the first Asian woman to reach a Grand Slam singles final at the 2011 Australian Open and went on to become Asia’s first Grand Slam champion at the 2011 French Open. In its statement announcing his retirement, the ATP recognized Nishikori as “one of the best deciding-set players in history.” It noted he won 72.4 percent of his deciding sets in tour-level matches, behind only John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg. He last played at an ATP Challenger event last week in Savannah, Ga., and the 2025 Cincinnati Open was his most recent ATP Tour-level event. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms