The tennis world is certainly unpredictable. One minute, they were getting ready to bid Kei Nishikori goodbye; the very next, the player himself was calling out the narrative. So, what exactly happened?

Though recurring injury battles and a plummeting ranking may have taken a major hit on his confidence, the former World No. 4 looks to be in no mood to surrender anytime soon. Various outlets had earlier reported that Nishikori would retire after the upcoming Sarasota Challenger. However, the 36-year-old has now confirmed that he won’t be hanging up his boots later this week.

“Hi, everyone. Lots of false info out there. Yes, I am playing the Sarasota Challenger at the @IMGAcademy, and no, I am not retiring this week. I will make an update myself on this topic in the near future. Thank you,” Nishikori wrote on X.

The reports of Nishikori’s retirement came as a surprise to many, especially after he had clawed his way back into the top 100 on the ATP rankings last year. However, injuries had derailed all his progress, and he had fallen out of the order once again. While fitness issues have followed the Japanese throughout his career, they haven’t prevented him from leaving his mark on tennis.

Nishikori is the only player from Japan to have been ranked inside the top five on the ATP Tour. Arguably, the biggest moment of his career came at the 2014 US Open, where he made it all the way to the final. Though Marin Cilic got the better of Nishikori in that match, the latter still proved that he was among the best players of his era with his terrific run in the tournament.

Another defining moment of Nishikori’s career came at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he defeated Rafael Nadal to clinch bronze for Japan. Additionally, he has made four Masters 1000 finals and has won 12 ATP titles in what has been a remarkable career. However, the past few years have been quite forgettable for Nishikori, as injuries have prevented him from competing regularly on the biggest stages.

Having won his last title at the Brisbane International in 2019, Nishikori has now fallen way down to No. 417 on the ATP rankings. Notably, Nishikori had pulled out of the qualifiers for the Australian Open earlier this year due to a shoulder injury. He has a 3-3 win-loss record so far in the season.

He will be in action at the Sarasota Challenger next, which will be held from April 5 to 12. He is scheduled to take on Nicolas Kicker in the opening round. Interestingly, Nishikori had won this tournament back in 2010 and is quite excited to compete in it. “This will be a big deal,” the tournament has quoted about the Japanese ace.

While Nishikori may have confirmed that he is not retiring just yet, it isn’t like the thought hasn’t crossed his mind before.

Kei Nishikori reveals that he nearly retired in 2025

2025 proved to be another year filled with injuries for Nishikori. Though he made a strong start to the season and reached the final of the Hong Kong Open, a monumental setback soon followed.

Nishikori missed last year’s French Open after picking up a back injury. Missing one Grand Slam was already a big blow, but then he also had to withdraw from Wimbledon due to the same reason. Despite this, the former World No. 4 refused to give up and managed to make his comeback at the Cincinnati Masters.

However, things didn’t really go as planned, and Nishikori suffered a first-round exit at the hands of Camilo Ugo Carabelli. If this wasn’t enough, then he was also forced to withdraw from the US Open as issues with his back arose once again. It was later in the year that Nishikori revealed that he had seriously considered retiring from tennis after his defeat in Cincinnati.

“Thought about retirement for the first time last year. After Cincy this year, I considered it seriously. I’ve got through injury-comeback cycles countless times for the last three years, was forced to face the reality that I’d struggle for one more year until my tennis is back,” he had told Japanese media last year.

“But I’ve decided to keep going… Partly because of my pride/willfulness. And I always feel like my talent is too good to end like that. Ending his career due to injury is the worst case for any athlete; I don’t want to be done with tennis like this,” he added.

Will Nishikori be able to improve his form in the coming tournaments, or will it turn out to be yet another dismal season for the 36-year-old? Let us know what you think in the comments!