
via Imago
Kei Nishikori and his girlfriend Honami Tsuboi

via Imago
Kei Nishikori and his girlfriend Honami Tsuboi
Kei Nishikori, the first man from Asia to make it to the finals of a Grand Slam singles tournament, has lived quite a story. He was one of the first beneficiaries of a project to improve Japanese tennis funded by former Sony executive Masaaki Marita. He was first spotted in a tryout in Japan,earning an invitation to attend a Tennis academy in Florida.
He grew through the ranks to become a professional in 2007, and his victory over the then World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the US Open is still celebrated in Japan.
Nishikori still lives in Florida and very rarely goes back to Japan, but he does date a Japanese girl Honami Tsuboi.
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Who is Honami Tsuboi?
A certified yoga teacher, Honami was born on April 5, 1989 in Gifu, Japan. She studied nutritional science at Waseda University, and she is also an athlete. Tsuboi was in the Japanese national rhythmic gymnastics team for two years between 2007 and 2009. As a professional gymnast, she participated at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She also competed at world championships, including at the 2007 and 2009 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships.
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She went on to become a qualified yoga teacher after she retired from the sport in 2010. She is often seen supporting Nishikori court-side all over the world.
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How did Nishikori & Tsuboi meet?
Nishikori and Tsuboi were known to have through a mutual friend. After being introduced to each other, they met for a dinner, and it didn’t take long before the duo became a couple. Since then, it has been five years now and they are still together. During that period, Tsuboi was once reported to have taken care of Nishikori becoming his “personal manager” after he was diagnosed with kidney stones. It was then that the Japenese duo became closer to each other. The couple have usually kept a low profile on social media.
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