Kei Nishikori has made the difficult decision to hang up his racket by the end of the 2026 season after 19 years as a pro. Throughout his career, the Japanese player inspired many, including his compatriot and former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka.
Osaka recently shared a series of messages acknowledging the retiring icon. She also looked back on the day the pair shared the court for the first time.
Kei Nishikori Has Been an ‘Inspiration’ to Naomi Osaka
Nishikori burst on to the pro scene in 2007 as a 17-year-old. The following year he won his maiden ATP title at Delray Beach. In 2012, meanwhile, he won his first ATP 500 trophy in front of his home crowd in Tokyo, and in 2014 he made his first Masters 1000 final in Madrid.
The same year, Nishikori became the first man hailing from Asia to reach a Grand Slam final at the US Open, losing to Marin Čilić. En route, he beat the likes of Milos Raonic, Stan Wawrinka, and Novak Djokovic.
After Nishikori announced his impending retirement on May 1, Osaka, who grew up watching her compatriot’s heroics on the tour, revealed that she dreamt of exceling like him. The four-time Grand Slam champion called him “the Japanese legend” and revisited a powerful memory from the 2018 US Open, where she won her first Major title.
“I do not think Kei knows how inspirational he is to me, but when I was younger, I would always watch his matches and want to do as well as him. (This photo was taken during the 2018 US Open),” she wrote.
Osaka also reminisced on the day they played mixed doubles during a charity event in Nagoya City in 2018. “Hopefully we can play doubles again sometime!” she wrote on Instagram.
In April, Kei Nishikori was forced to issue clarification on his alleged retirement at the Sarasota Challenger, where he lost in the round of 16. A month later, on May 1, he confirmed that he plans to retire at the end of the 2026 season.
“Since I was a child, I have been passionate about tennis, and I have continued to pursue it with only one dream in my heart: ‘I want to compete on the world stage,’” he wrote on X.
“There were times when I was overwhelmed by frustration and anxiety due to repeated injuries that prevented me from playing as I wanted. Even so, my love for tennis and my belief that I could become a stronger player always brought me back to the court,” Nishikori said.
“Still wish I could continue my playing career,” he added. “I will cherish every moment of the remaining matches and fight to the very end.”
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The Japanese star said he is “extremely proud of” everything he’s achieved in his career. He has won 12 career titles and reached four quarterfinals at the Australian Open, three at the French Open, and two at Wimbledon, besides his US Open runner-up finish. He also won the bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics for his home country and reached a career-high ranking of No. 4 in singles.
