Background and career
Kei Nishikori (錦織 圭, Nishikori Kei; [ɲiɕi̥koꜜɾi keꜜː]; born 29 December 1989) is a Japanese former professional tennis player. He was ranked as high as world No. 4 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals, making him the highest-ranked Japanese man in the Open Era and the second-highest-ranked of all time (after Jiro Sato). Nishikori won twelve singles titles on the ATP Tour and was runner-up at the 2014 US Open (upsetting world No. 1 Novak Djokovic en route), making him the only man representing an Asian country to contest a major singles final. In addition, Nishikori defeated Rafael Nadal to win the bronze medal in singles at the 2016 Rio Olympics, bringing Japan its first Olympic tennis medal in 96 years. He holds the third best percentage of deciding-set wins in the Open Era at 72.4%, and has the third-highest win percentage in matches extending to five sets, with a record of 29–8 and a win percentage of 78.4%.
Nishikori was born in Matsue in Shimane Prefecture, Japan. His father, Kiyoshi, is an engineer, and his mother, Eri, is a piano teacher. He has an older sister, Reina, who graduated from college and works in Tokyo. He began playing tennis at the age of five. He first won the All Japan Tennis Championships for Kids in 2001, and graduated from Aomori-Yamada High School. Nishikori moved to Bradenton, Florida to join the IMG Academy in 2004 at 14 years of age. Nishikori was previously coached by Brad Gilbert, Dante Bottini, Michael Chang and Thomas Johansson. Nishikori married his long-term girlfriend Mai Yamauchi in December 2020. They have a son together. In 2025, Nishikori was alleged to have been having an affair with Japanese model Azuki Oguchi. He issued a statement apologising for his conduct. His pastimes include soccer, golf, reading, and listening to music.
Nishikori played his first junior match in April 2002 at the age of 13 at a grade 1 tournament in Japan. He won the 2004 title at the Riad 21 Tournament in Rabat, Morocco, and was a boys' singles quarter-finalist at the 2006 Junior French Open; he partnering Emiliano Massa to win the boys' doubles title at that tournament. Nishikori won the 2007 Luxilon Cup held at the 2007 Sony Ericsson Open by defeating Michael McClune. As a junior, he compiled a 73–37 win–loss record in singles and 53–31 in doubles, achieving a combined ranking of No. 7 in the world in July 2006.
Singles: Australian Open: QF (2006) French Open: QF (2006) Wimbledon: 1R (2005) US Open: 3R (2005) Doubles: Australian Open: SF (2006) French Open: W (2006) Wimbledon: A (-) US Open: 1R (2005)
Nishikori began the year in March with a wildcard entry to the Kyoto Challenger tournament in Kyoto, Japan, where he lost to Australian Robert Smeets in the round of 32 and just failed to qualify for the doubles tournament. In May, Nishikori qualified for the ITF Futures event in Mazatlán, Mexico, where he was victorious in the men's singles.
A finalist in two USTA Pro Circuit events, Nishikori lost to Donald Young in Little Rock, Arkansas and Alex Bogomolov Jr. in Carson, California. He partnered with Young to win the doubles title at Little Rock. At the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Nishikori paired with triple French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten, but the two were defeated in the first round. Nishikori served as a hitting partner for Roger Federer at Wimbledon. After his ATP main draw debut in Los Angeles, Nishikori qualified for the Indianapolis Tennis Championships in July. He beat Alejandro Falla in the first round to record his first ATP main-draw win. He followed that up with a three-set win over Michael Berrer, the eliminator of seventh seed Robby Ginepri, to advance to his first ATP quarterfinal. Although he lost to Dmitry Tursunov in two sets, Nishikori became the youngest player to reach the quarterfinals at Indianapolis since Boris Becker in 1985. Later that month, Nishikori headed to Washington, D.C. for his third career ATP event. He defeated Teymuraz Gabashvili in the first round before falling to Julien Benneteau in the second. He qualified for the China Open in Beijing, losing in the first round to Ivan Ljubičić. In October, Nishikori received a wildcard entry to the AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo, where he lost in the first round to Zack Fleishman. He participated in the tournament's draw ceremony and was honored with an award from the Tokyo Sports Writers Club. Nishikori finished the year representing Japan at the Asian Hopman Cup competition in Bangkok, Thailand.
