Kei Nishikori to retire at end of 2026 season: "I still wish I could continue"

Former Top 10 player Kei Nishikori will retire from tennis at the end of the 2026 season, he announced in posts to his social media channels on Thursday.

The 36-year-old, now ranked No. 464, turned professional 20 years ago and had a history-making career for Japan. The peak came in 2014, where he became the first Japanese man to reach a Grand Slam singles final at the US Open, and a career-high ranking of No. 4 less than a year later.

He went on to win Japan's first tennis medal in 96 years when he took bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and became the first player from his country to record 450 or more ATP match wins when he eclipsed the mark last year.

“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,’” he wrote in a social media post. “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. Whether in victory or defeat, the special atmosphere I felt in packed arenas is irreplaceable.”

Nishikori has won 12 titles, collecting more than $26 million in prize money, and was credited, along with Li Na, of building tennis' popularity in Asia in the last decade-plus. But also injuries took their toll on Nishikori over the years, with major issues to his hip, wrist, back, shoulder, and knees prompting him to say last year that he "barely hanging on" physically.

In his post, he confessed he "still wish[ed he] could continue" his career, but could "proudly say that [he] gave it [his] all."

"I am truly happy to have walked this path," he wrote.

In posts to her own social media channels after his announcement, Naomi Osaka credited Nishikori as an inspiration to her in her own career. When she and Nishikori reached the semifinals of the 2018 US Open, a tournament Osaka went on to win, it was the first time that a Japanese man and woman had gotten that far in the singles draws of the same Grand Slam tournament.

"I do not think Kei knows how inspirational he is to me but when I was younger, I would always watch his matches and want to do as well as him," the former world No. 1 wrote, adding that it was "an honor to watch [him] play."