Tennis ace Kei Nishikori is ending his career. The Japanese player’s best days were several years ago.
Finalist at the US Open and the most decorated player in Asia: tennis pro Kei Nishikori is ending his successful career at the end of the season. The 36-year-old Japanese player made the announcement on social media with a heavy heart.
“To be honest, I still wish I could continue my career,” wrote Nishikori: “When I look back on everything up to this point, I can proudly say that I gave it my all.”
Tennis: Nishikori once in the top 10
Nishikori’s best career phase was several years ago. In 2014, he was the first Japanese player to reach a Grand Slam final in New York, but lost to Croatian Marin Cilic. Nishikori was the first player from his country to make it into the top 10 of the world rankings, where he rose to fourth place. He has a total of twelve titles on the tour and a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio on his CV.
Nishikori is now ATP-464th and is constantly plagued by injuries. “There were also times when frustration and fear overwhelmed me because injuries kept preventing me from playing the way I wanted to,” he wrote. “Nevertheless, my love for tennis and my belief that I could become a better player always brought me back to the court.”