Kei Nishikori bid an emotional farewell to tennis on Thursday after playing the last match of his career at the Japan Open.
The former US Open finalist was beaten 6-4, 6-4 by Frances Tiafoe, who is seeded second in this year’s Tokyo draw. Nishikori announced earlier in the season that this tournament would be the last one he plays in before retiring from the sport after spending more than 19 years on the Tour.
“I finished my last match in Japan, it was great moment for me,” Nishikori said afterwards. “Thanks to Tiafoe, he played a great match and I hope he does good this week.
“Thank you (fans) for supporting my tennis career of almost 20 years.”
Ranked as high as fourth in the world, a record for an Asian male player, Nishikori has been a trailblazer for Japanese men’s tennis. He is the first male player from his country to reach a Grand Slam final in the Open Era, facing Marin Cilic at the 2014 US Open. He is also the first player from his country to reach the quarter-finals of all four major events and break into the ATP top 10.
Nishikori is a 12-time ATP Tour champion, with two of those titles coming at the Japan Open. Six of these titles came at ATP 500 events, and the other six at 250-level events. He is also a four-time Masters 1000 runner-up.
To mark Nishikori’s retirement, the ATP published a video of players paying their own tributes. Among them were Novak Djokovic, who played him 20 times on the Tour and won 18 of those.
“We had some great battles at the Grand Slams, other tournaments, all over the world,” said Djokovic. “Your resilience and your fighting spirit to always come back after all the adversity you had with your body, injuries and everything that you faced is really commendable and admirable.
“I’m really glad you’re ending your career in your town, in your country, in front of your people. You’re definitely going to get the farewell and applause that you absolutely deserve. All the very best in retirement, Kei.” He added.
Both Grigor Dimitrov and Alex de Minaur praised Nishikori’s two-handed backhand, which Dimitrov describes as ‘the best’ in the sport.
“I’ve studied your backhand for years and years and years, and I’ve played against it a couple of times, still in awe,”de Minaur commented.
“I’ve told you to teach me, you won’t teach me, but hopefully once you’ve retired you’ll give me some tips…You are an absolute legend, all the best.”
On social media, Stefanos Tsitsipas posted his own personal tribute.
“Beyond your remarkable achievements, you captivated audiences everywhere with your one-of-a-kind playing style, bringing immense pride and emotion to people across Japan,” he wrote.
“I’ve always loved watching your matches, and it saddens me that I won’t get to see you on tour anymore. I’ll keep cheering you on in whatever you do next!”
Nishikori won more than 450 Tour-level matches during his career.
