Kei Nishikori, Mai Yamauchi celebrate anniversary with wedding festivities

As a sidelined Kei Nishikori tries to work his way back to the ATP Tour, he’s doing it with a new beginning alongside wife Mai Yamauchi.

The two celebrated their two-year anniversary on December 24 in notable fashion. On social media, Nishikori shared the happy couple held a wedding ceremony and reception long delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Though Nishikori hasn’t played since the October 2021 edition of Indian Wells, it hasn’t been quiet on the home front. For he and Yamauchi became parents that year after welcoming a baby boy.

“Only after I became a parent, I realized how tough it is to take care of a child,” Nishikori told Daily Sports Online in December 2021.

Nishikori ended his 2021 season with a back injury, then had hip surgery in January of this year. He previously went under the knife to address his right elbow on two occasions—in August 2009 and October 2019.

The 2014 US Open finalist turns 33 this coming Thursday. Nishikori, a former world No. 4, is a 12-time ATP champion and holder of 431 tour-level wins. He's targeting a long-awaited return at February's Delray Beach Open.