PARIS (AP) — Former U.S. Open finalist Kei Nishikori will conclude his career at home when he plays in the Japan Open later this year.
The 36-year-old Nishikori has been given a wild card invitation by tournament organizers, the ATP Tour confirmed Tuesday.
The tournament in Tokyo will be held from Sept. 30 to Oct. 6.
By reaching No. 4, Nishikori was the highest-ranked Japanese man in the history of the ATP rankings.
Nishikori, having made his professional debut in 2007, also became the first Japanese man to advance to the final of a Grand Slam singles tournament at the 2014 U.S. Open. He lost the title match in straight sets to Croatia’s Marin Cilic.
Nishikori also won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics by beating Rafael Nadal.
Michael Chang, the 1989 French Open winner who used to coach Nishikori, pointed out that his accomplishments should be magnified since he played in the era of the Big Three and Big Four alongside Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.
“For him to to get to No. 4 in the world on two different occasions is not easy,” Chang told The Associated Press at the French Open. “I tell him he’s got nothing but to feel great about what he’s accomplished in tennis.
“He’s approaching a different stage in his life and maybe he doesn’t agree with me but I think he’s going to have more important and more exciting things with his young family," Chang added. "He’s had a great career and hopefully he finishes out well and Tokyo gives him a good send-off because I think he deserves it.”
After struggling with injuries, Nishikori has played exclusively on the lower-tier Challenger tour this year. He’s now No. 703.
“Being Japanese, being able to look up to him, seeing everything he’s achieved, in a world where Japanese tennis hasn’t been able to go as far as he did in that moment in time, it was just so inspiring,” four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, a former No. 1, said in Paris. "I wanted to stand next to him as the female representative.
“So I’m really glad that I was able to do that,” Osaka added. “I’m grateful for everything that he’s done and I want to see him play tennis one more time.”
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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