Kei Nishikori’s career ended Thursday in Tokyo with a 6-4, 6-4 loss to world No. 8 Frances Tiafoe at the Japan Open. The 36-year-old then took a lap of honor on the main showcourt, where he won the title in 2012 and 2014.
The number the ATP singles out
The ATP’s own tribute says “one statistic says more than any trophy count.” Nishikori won 72.5 percent of the deciding sets he played, a 158-60 record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. The ATP calls that the third-best tour-level mark in history, behind only Bjorn Borg at 73.4 percent and John McEnroe at 72.8 percent. In fifth sets he won 78.4 percent, going 29-8.
The ATP’s tribute says what the 5-foot-10 Nishikori lacked in firepower he made up for in competitive fire. At his peak, it says, his speed, timing and ability to take the ball early allowed him to dictate against players with far greater physical prowess.
The 2014 US Open
His best season was 2014, when he went 54-14 and won four titles. At the US Open he needed five sets to beat Milos Raonic in the fourth round, then went the distance again against Stan Wawrinka in the quarterfinals.
He had spent more than eight hours on court across those two matches, the ATP says. Even so, on a hot, humid day in Arthur Ashe Stadium, he beat top-ranked Novak Djokovic in four sets in the semifinal. That made him, the ATP says, the first Asian man to reach a Grand Slam singles final. He lost the final to Marin Cilic.
A run of firsts
The ATP lists several more. Nishikori was the first Japanese man in the top 10. He closed 2014 as the first Asian man to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. By March 2015 he reached a career-high No. 4, the highest ranking ever achieved by an Asian man.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics he beat Rafael Nadal in three sets for bronze, Japan’s first Olympic tennis medal in 96 years. At the Tokyo Games in 2021, he reached the quarterfinals at home. The ATP counts seven wins over Roger Federer, Nadal and Djokovic: three against Federer, two each against the others.
Injuries, and a late final
The BBC reported that injuries hampered him throughout a 19-year career. Yahoo Sports listed problems with his right ankle, right shoulder, left knee and hip.
Still, in 2025, six years after his last title in Brisbane, he reached the Hong Kong final at 35, beating third-seeded Karen Khachanov along the way. He finished with 12 ATP Tour titles, 15 more finals, four of them at Masters 1000 level, and 452 tour-level match wins.
Farewell words
“Playing in Japan is always a special moment,” Nishikori told the home crowd, according to the BBC. “I’m proud that I didn’t give up and played right to the finish.”
A video message from Djokovic, Andy Murray and Michael Chang was also played, the BBC reported. “Your resilience and fighting spirit, to always come back after a lot of adversity, is really commendable and admirable,” Djokovic said.
Nadal wrote on X: “It was always a pleasure to share the court with you. You can be very proud of everything you have achieved and the example you have set for so many people!”