Kei Nishikori retires after Japan Open defeat to Frances Tiafoe
Kei Nishikori ended his professional career at the Japan Open in Tokyo on 1 October 2026 after losing 6-4 6-4 to world number eight Frances Tiafoe, and said he "kept fighting right to the end".
The 36-year-old, a former world number four, was tearful as he left the court. Nishikori's 19-year career was repeatedly affected by injuries, but included a run to the 2014 US Open final in which he beat Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic en route to facing Marin Cilic in the showpiece.
After his defeat to Tiafoe, Nishikori completed a lap of honour around the main showcourt in Tokyo, the venue where he had previously won the event in 2012 and 2014. A video message of congratulations was played on the court featuring Novak Djokovic, three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray and 1989 French Open winner Michael Chang.
Addressing the home crowd, Nishikori said: "Playing in Japan is always a special moment," and added: "I wish I could have put in a slightly more convincing performance. But I'm happy I kept fighting right to the end. "I'm proud that I didn't give up and played right to the finish."
Djokovic’s recorded message described Nishikori's return from setbacks, saying: "Your resilience and fighting spirit, to always come back after a lot of adversity, is really commendable and admirable." He added: "We had some great battles all over the world. I'm really glad you're ending your career in your town, your country, in front of your people. "You're going to get the farewell you absolutely deserve."
Nishikori began playing tennis aged five and moved to Florida as a 14-year-old to train. He was the first Japanese man to reach the top 10 of the world rankings and has been cited as an inspiration by players including four-time major champion Naomi Osaka.
He finished his career having won 12 ATP Tour singles titles and claimed 40 victories over top-10 players. His 72.5% win-rate in deciding sets is the third best in ATP Tour history, behind only Bjorn Borg (73.4%) and John McEnroe (72.8%).
