When Kei Nishikori was just five years old, his father, Kiyoshi, gave him his first tennis racket, that he brought back from a business trip to the United States. At the time, tennis wasn’t exactly a mainstream sport in Japan, but in the Nishikori household, it quickly became a passion.

That passion only grew stronger. By the time Nishikori was 14, he had moved to Florida to train full-time, chasing a dream that felt incredibly ambitious at the time. It turned out to be the right move, as that teenager went on to become one of Japan’s greatest tennis players and one of the most respected figures on tour.

Now, at 36, Nishikori has built a remarkable career and a legacy to match. And after everything he has achieved, the Japanese star has decided it’s finally time to hang up his racket after facing multiple injury related setbacks on tour.

On April 30, Nishikori has made the announcement public through a social media post. The 36-year-old remarked that he has been passionate about tennis since childhood and is proud of playing at the highest level for many years.

“Today, I have an announcement. I have decided to retire from professional tennis at the end of this 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. 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.”

The Japanese further admitted that he has had multiple episodes of ‘frustration and anxiety’ due to the injuries that kept him away from the court for long periods. However, his love for the sport helped him return and become a stronger player.

“Whether in victory or defeat, the special atmosphere I felt in packed arenas is irreplaceable. There were also 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,” he added.

Though he has already left his mark on tennis and has achieved a countless number of feats, Nishikori still wishes to continue playing for as long as he can. While it definitely won’t be easy for him to bid goodbye to the sport, he is satisfied knowing that he gave his all on the court.

“To be honest, I still wish I could continue my playing career. Even so, looking back on everything up to this point, I can proudly say that I gave it my all. I am truly happy to have walked this path. I will cherish every moment of the remaining matches and fight to the very end,” he concluded.

With his last title win coming back in 2019 at the Brisbane International, it is safe to say that the last few years have been difficult for Nishikori. He has dropped down to No. 464 on the rankings and injuries have constantly affected his participation on the tour. However, this can’t change the fact that he is among the most known players of his generation and has built a remarkable legacy of his own.

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 very successful career.

The Japanese had once again showed flashes of brilliance last year when he had clawed his way back into the top 100 on the rankings. However, injuries derailed his progress yet again, and he fell out of order. The 36-year-old has had an underwhelming start to the 2026 season as he had to pull out from the Australian Open qualifiers due to a shoulder injury.

Nishikori has competed at four Challenger events since then but hasn’t been able to make a deep run in any of them. The former World No. 4’s continued absence from the ATP tour had led to many outlets reporting that he will announce his retirement after the Sarasota Challenger last month. However, the 36-year-old had refuted all the claims at that time.

Kai Nishikori had previously shut down speculations regarding his retirement

It was only last month that Nishikori had confirmed that he will not be retiring after the Sarasota Challenger. He had even described all the reports as “false info”.

“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 had written on X.

After denying all the speculations regarding his retirement, it was expected that Nishikori will keep on playing in the upcoming years as well. However, he has now officially announced that he will retire after the end of the season.

Notably, Nishikori is not a part of the qualifiers list for the French Open and will most likely not be in action at the Grand Slam. Having suffered second-round exits at both the Sarasota and Savannah Challenger last month, it remains to be seen which tournament he will play next.