Kei Nishikori, a 12-time winner on the ATP Tour, said his goodbye to pro tennis on Thursday following his first-round loss at the Japan Open.
He was defeated by Frances Tiafoe 6-4, 6-4 in Tokyo.
Nishikori, 36, announced in April that he would retire at the end of this season.
Limited by injuries the past few seasons, Nishikori qualified for just one ATP tournament this season and was eliminated in the second round in Washington, D.C., in July. He accepted a wild-card entry into the Japan Open, which he won twice during his 19-year career.
“Playing in Japan is always a special moment,” Nishikori, visibly emotional after the match, said in an on-court interview.
“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.”
Nishikori is known as the top male Asian singles player in history, reaching No. 4 in the world in 2015. He retires with a career singles record of 452-233 and $26.2 million in earnings.
The biggest win of his career likely came in 2014, when he defeated No. 1 Novak Djokovic at the U.S. Open to become the first Asian man to qualify for the men’s singles final at a Grand Slam tournament. He lost to Marin Cilic in the final.
Nishikori won the bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, defeating Rafael Nadal in the third-place match.
–Field Level Media
