Long-time Top-10 Player Ends Career in Front of Home Crowd

Former world number four, Kei Nishikori, is ending his professional tennis career. He played his final match in front of a home crowd in Tokyo.

In his home country, the Japanese player is considered an absolute tennis star and a pioneer of the sport. Many players in the world elite, including Naomi Osaka, were inspired by Nishikori's achievements.

Pioneer in Japan

Nishikori was the first Japanese player to break into the ATP world rankings' Top Ten, where he remained for almost three consecutive years. Throughout his career, he spent a total of 212 weeks among the world's top ten tennis players.

At his peak, during the era of the "Big Three" - Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic - he held the world number four position. He managed to defeat the Swiss player three times, and the Spaniard and the Serb twice each.

He accumulated twelve ATP titles and reached 15 further finals. However, the 36-year-old never managed to win an ATP 1000 tournament or a Grand Slam. In 2014, Nishikori narrowly missed out when he was defeated by surprise winner Marin Cilic in his sole Major final at the US Open.

Injuries Hampered Career

Another career highlight was the 2016 Olympic Games. In Rio, he overcame Rafael Nadal in the battle for bronze, winning Japan's first Olympic tennis medal in almost a century.

In recent years, Nishikori had increasingly struggled with injuries and consequently dropped in the rankings. Now, at 36, he concluded his successful career at the ATP tournament in Tokyo, which he had won twice, with a defeat against Frances Tiafoe.