Kei Nishikori confirms his retirement from tennis at the end of the season

[p]The 36-year-old became the first Japanese player to reach a Grand Slam final at the 2014 US Open, eventually losing to Croatia's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cilic-marin/nLoK5syL/"]Marin Cilic[/a].[/p][p]He was the first Japanese man to climb into the top 10 in the ATP world rankings, reaching a career high of number four, and won 12 titles on the tour.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nishikori-kei/YNkOjUIB/"]Nishikori[/a] also won bronze in the men's singles at the 2016 Rio Olympics.[/p][p]He has been dogged by injuries for years and said last month that he was "barely hanging on" in terms of his physical fitness.[/p][p]Nishikori said Friday on social media that he was reluctantly calling it quits at the end of the 2026 season.[/p][p]"[b]To be honest, I still wish I could continue my playing career,[/b]" he said.[/p][p]"[b]Even so, looking back on everything up to this point, I can proudly say that I gave it my all.[/b]"[/p][embed guid="ad23f6c8-344c-418f-98f0-151d69a44171" url="https://x.com/keinishikori/status/2049958674903257283?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Nishikori was born in western Japan and moved to Florida at the age of 14 to train at the IMG Academy.[/p][p]He began his professional career in 2007 and won his first ATP Tour title a year later at Delray Beach.[/p][p]He produced the best season of his career in 2014, winning four ATP titles and reaching the final of the US Open, where he upset then-world number one [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/djokovic-novak/AZg49Et9/"]Novak Djokovic[/a] in the semi-finals.[/p][p]"[b]Reaching the ATP Tour, playing at the highest level of competition and maintaining a presence in the top 10 is something I am extremely proud of,[/b]" he said in his social media post.[/p][p]"[b]Whether in victory or defeat, the special atmosphere I felt in packed arenas is irreplaceable.[/b]"[/p][p]Nishikori last won a title at Brisbane in 2019. He is currently ranked No. 464 in the world and has been playing this season on the second-tier Challenger Tour.[/p][p]"[b]There were also times when I was overwhelmed by frustration and anxiety due to repeated injuries that prevented me from playing as I wanted,[/b]" he said.[/p][p]"[b]Even so, my love for tennis and my belief that I could become a stronger player always brought me back to the court,[/b]" he added.[/p][p]"[b]I will cherish every moment of the remaining matches and fight to the very end.[/b]"[/p]