Japanese tennis trailblazer Kei Nishikori to retire at end of season after ‘hanging on’

Kei Nishikori, Asia’s most decorated men’s tennis player, on Friday said that he would retire at the end of the season after a career ravaged by injury.

The 36-year-old became the first Japanese player to reach a grand slam final at the 2014 US Open, eventually losing to Croatia’s Marin Cilic.

He was the first Japanese man to climb into the top 10 in the ATP world rankings, reaching a career high of No 4, and won 12 titles on tour.

Nishikori also won bronze in the men’s singles at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

He has been dogged by injuries for years and said last month that he was “barely hanging on” in terms of his physical fitness.

Nishikori said on Friday on social media that he was reluctantly calling it quits at the end of the 2026 season.

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