Kei Nishikori announces he will retire at the end of 2026 season
ATP Tour • • sports
Key Points:
- Japanese tennis star Kei Nishikori announced his retirement from professional tennis at the end of the 2026 season, expressing pride in his career and gratitude to his supporters.
- Nishikori has been a trailblazer for Japanese tennis, becoming the highest-ranked player in the country’s history and the first to break into the ATP Top 10, reaching as high as World No. 4.
- Over his career, Nishikori won 12 ATP Tour singles titles, including two in Tokyo, and competed in four Nitto ATP Finals, reaching the semi-finals twice.
- His best season was in 2014, when he reached the US Open final, defeating World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals, and posted a 54-14 record with four tour-level titles.
- Known for his resilience, Nishikori has one of the highest winning percentages in deciding sets in ATP history, and he plans to cherish and fight through his remaining matches before retirement.
