History of Kei Nishikori in Timeline

Kei Nishikori is a prominent Japanese professional tennis player, notable as the only Japanese man in the Open Era to achieve a top-five singles ranking, reaching world No. 4 in 2015. He has secured twelve ATP Tour titles. Nishikori made history as the first man representing an Asian country to reach a major singles final at the 2014 US Open. Furthermore, he was the first Asian man to qualify for the ATP Finals, reaching the semifinals twice. He is currently the No. 3 player from Japan.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles

1920: Historical Context: Ichiya Kumagae's Olympic Medal

In the 1920 Summer Olympics, Ichiya Kumagae won a medal, marking the last time a Japanese man had achieved this feat in tennis before Nishikori's bronze medal in 2016.

1933: First Japanese Man in French Championships Semifinals Since Jiro Sato

In 2014, Kei Nishikori became the first Japanese man in 81 years to reach the semifinals at a Major since Jiro Sato in the 1933 French Championships.

1985: Youngest Quarterfinalist Since Becker

Kei Nishikori became the youngest player to reach the quarterfinals at Indianapolis since Boris Becker in 1985.

December 1989: Kei Nishikori Born

On December 1989, Kei Nishikori was born. He is a Japanese professional tennis player.

Others born on this day/year

July 1992: Broke Shuzo Matsuoka's Japanese Record

Kei Nishikori reached a career-high of world No. 30 in 2011, breaking the previous Japanese record of No. 46, set by Shuzo Matsuoka in July 1992.

2001: Won All Japan Tennis Championships for Kids

In 2001, Kei Nishikori won the All Japan Tennis Championships for Kids.

April 2002: First Junior Match

In April 2002, at the age of 13, Kei Nishikori played his first junior match at a grade 1 tournament in Japan.

2004: Riad 21 Tournament Win

In 2004, Kei Nishikori won the title at the Riad 21 Tournament in Rabat, Morocco.

2004: Moved to IMG Academy

In 2004, at the age of 14, Kei Nishikori moved to Bradenton, Florida to join the IMG Academy.

2005: Wimbledon and US Open Results

In 2005, Kei Nishikori reached the first round of Wimbledon and the third round of the US Open.

2005: US Open result

In 2005, Kei Nishikori reached the first round of the US Open.

July 2006: Combined Ranking of No. 7

In July 2006, Kei Nishikori achieved a combined ranking of No. 7 in the world as a junior player.

2006: Australian Open and French Open Quarterfinalist

In 2006, Kei Nishikori reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and the French Open.

2006: Junior French Open Quarter-finalist

In 2006, Kei Nishikori was a boys' singles quarter-finalist at the Junior French Open and won the boys' doubles title partnering with Emiliano Massa.

2007: Luxilon Cup Win

In 2007, Kei Nishikori won the Luxilon Cup held at the Sony Ericsson Open by defeating Michael McClune.

June 2008: Wimbledon Debut and Forfeiture

On June 23, 2008, Kei Nishikori made his first Grand Slam appearance at the Wimbledon Championships, ending in a first-round forfeiture to Marc Gicquel due to an abdominal muscle strain.

August 2008: US Open Round of 16

On August 30, 2008, Kei Nishikori became the first Japanese player in 71 years to reach the round of 16 at the US Open, after beating David Ferrer. He was later defeated by Juan Martín del Potro.

2008: ATP Newcomer of the Year and Injury

In 2008, Kei Nishikori was named ATP Newcomer of the Year, becoming the first Asian player to win the award. He later withdrew from the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open due to an injured right elbow.

May 2010: Sarasota Open Victory

On May 15, 2010, Kei Nishikori won the Sarasota Open by defeating Brian Dabul in three sets.

December 2010: Dante Bottini Becomes Coach

In December 2010, Dante Bottini became Kei Nishikori's coach.

2010: First French Open and Wimbledon Participation

In 2010, Kei Nishikori played in his first French Open, defeating Santiago Giraldo in the first round before losing to Novak Djokovic. He also lost in the first round of Wimbledon to Rafael Nadal.

2010: US Open Third Round Appearance

In 2010, at the US Open, Kei Nishikori defeated Marin Čilić in the second round to advance to the third round, his best Grand Slam tournament showing that year.

2011: Swiss Indoors Basel Final

In 2011, Kei Nishikori defeated Novak Djokovic to reach the final of the Swiss Indoors Basel tournament, where he was defeated by Roger Federer. He then achieved a ranking of world No. 24.

2011: U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships Final

In 2011, Kei Nishikori reached the final at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, where he was defeated by Ryan Sweeting.

2011: Australian Open Third Round

In 2011, Kei Nishikori reached the third round of the Australian Open, defeating Fabio Fognini and Florian Mayer along the way, before being defeated by Fernando Verdasco.

January 2012: Ranking Since January 2012

Following the conclusion of Paris, Nishikori fell to World No.22, his lowest ranking since January 2012.

2012: Australian Open Quarterfinals

In 2012, Kei Nishikori reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, becoming the first Japanese male player to do so in 80 years. He was later defeated by Andy Murray.

2012: First Monte-Carlo Masters Appearance Since 2012

In 2018, Nishikori entered the Monte-Carlo Masters for the first time since 2012, having never progressed past the third round at the tournament before.

2013: US Open First Round Loss

In 2013, Kei Nishikori lost in the first round of the US Open to Dan Evans.

January 2014: Michael Chang Joins Coaching Team

In January 2014, Michael Chang was added to Kei Nishikori's coaching team.

March 2014: First Time Out of Top 20

Nishikori fell out of the top 20 in the rankings for the first time since March 2014.

2014: First Victory over Federer since 2014

At the ATP Finals, Nishikori faced Roger Federer in his first match, defeating him in straight sets. This was Nishikori's first victory over Federer since 2014 and ended a six-match losing streak against him.

2014: Rematch of the 2014 US Open

At the US Open, Nishikori faced Marin Čilić in a rematch of the 2014 final.

2014: Failure to Defend Points at Mutua Madrid Open

In 2014, Kei Nishikori failed to defend his points from the final at the Mutua Madrid Open, causing his ranking to drop to sixth.

2014: 2014 US Open Semifinal Run

In 2014, Kei Nishikori nearly replicated his US Open run by reaching the semifinals, defeating Andy Murray in the quarterfinals. He lost to Stan Wawrinka in the semifinals after leading by a set and a break.

2014: US Open Final Appearance

In 2014, Kei Nishikori reached his first Grand Slam final at the US Open, defeating Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. He lost to Marin Čilić in the final. Nishikori's singles ranking improved to world No.8.

2014: Gerry Weber Open Semifinals

In 2014, Kei Nishikori reached the semifinals of the Gerry Weber Open before losing to Roger Federer.

2014: US Open Runner-Up and ATP Finals Semifinalist

In 2014, Kei Nishikori was the runner-up at the US Open, making him the first man representing an Asian country to contest a major singles final. He also reached the semifinals at the ATP Finals.

2014: Michael Chang Becomes Coach

In 2014, Michael Chang became Kei Nishikori's coach.

March 2015: Career-High Ranking of World No. 4

In March 2015, Kei Nishikori achieved his career-high ranking of world No. 4, making him the only Japanese man in the Open Era to reach the top five in singles.

2015: Abierto Mexicano Telcel Final and Career High Ranking

In 2015, Kei Nishikori reached the final of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel and achieved a new career-high world ranking of No. 4. He also reached the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open and the quarterfinals of the Miami Open.

2015: Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell Title Defense

In 2015, Kei Nishikori reached the final of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell after defeating several opponents. He successfully defended his title by beating Pablo Andújar in the final, winning his ninth career title.

2015: Brisbane International and Memphis Open

In 2015, Kei Nishikori reached the semifinals at the Brisbane International and won the Memphis Open for the third consecutive time.

2015: 2015 Italian Open and French Open

In 2015, Nishikori reached the quarterfinal of the Italian Open, losing to Novak Djokovic. At the French Open, he advanced to the fourth round after his opponent withdrew and reached the quarterfinals, becoming the first Japanese man to do so in 82 years, before losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

2015: 2015 Citi Open, Rogers Cup, US Open

In 2015, Nishikori won the Citi Open, defeating John Isner in the final, capturing his third title of the year and 10th overall. He reached the semifinals of the Rogers Cup, defeating Rafael Nadal for the first time, and withdrew from the Cincinnati Masters due to fatigue and a hip injury. He then lost in the first round of the US Open to Benoît Paire.

February 2016: First Tournament Victory Since February 2016

Nishikori's victory was his first tournament victory since February 2016 and broke his streak of nine consecutive final losses.

2016: ATP Finals Semifinalist

In 2016, Kei Nishikori reached the semifinals at the ATP Finals for the second time.

2016: 2016 Rogers Cup and Summer Olympics

In 2016, Kei Nishikori was seeded third for the Rogers Cup Masters in Toronto, losing to Djokovic in the finals. He then participated in the 2016 Summer Olympics, where he won the bronze medal, becoming the first Japanese man to win an Olympic tennis medal since 1920.

2016: Bronze Medal at Summer Olympics

In 2016, Kei Nishikori won the bronze medal in singles at the Summer Olympics after defeating Rafael Nadal, marking Japan's first Olympic tennis medal in 96 years.

2016: 2016 ATP World Tour Finals

In 2016, Nishikori qualified for the ATP World Tour Finals for the third successive time. He won his first match against Stan Wawrinka before losing to Andy Murray and Marin Čilić. He made the semifinals but was defeated by Novak Djokovic, ending his season ranked World No. 5.

August 2017: Last ATP Tour Competition

Nishikori made his return to the ATP Tour competition (since August 2017 Montreal) at the inaugural ATP 250 Tournament in New York.

2017: Davis Cup Play-Off Victory

In 2017, Nishikori represented Japan in the Davis Cup Play-Off against Ukraine, winning the doubles match alongside Yūichi Sugita to give Japan an unassailable lead, promoting his country back into the 2017 Davis Cup World Group.

2018: First Top 10 Win

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Nishikori recorded his first top 10 win since 2018 by beating Andrey Rublev.

2018: ATP Tour Return in New York and Abierto Mexicano Telcel

In 2018, Kei Nishikori returned to the ATP Tour in New York, reaching the semifinal. He then participated in the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco, losing in the first round.

2018: 2018 Monte-Carlo Masters, Italian Open, and French Open

In 2018, Nishikori reached the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters, losing to Rafael Nadal. He reached the quarterfinals of the Italian Open and the fourth round of the French Open.

2018: Return from Injury and ATP Challenger Title in Dallas

In 2018, Nishikori returned from a 5-month injury layoff, playing in American challenger tour events. He won his sixth ATP Challenger career title in Dallas, defeating Mackenzie McDonald in the final.

2019: 2019 US Open

In 2019, Nishikori reached the third round at the US Open.

2019: 2019 Brisbane International Title

In 2019, Nishikori started his season at the Brisbane International, winning the title by defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final.

2019: First Quarterfinal Since Wimbledon 2019

Nishikori made his first quarterfinal since Wimbledon 2019 in 2021 Rotterdam, after beating 7th seed Félix Auger-Aliassime and Alex de Minaur.

September 2020: Return to Major Level at 2020 French Open

In September 2020, Nishikori returned to the Major level at the 2020 French Open, winning his first round match after the COVID season break.

December 2020: Marriage to Mai Yamauchi

In December 2020, Kei Nishikori married his long-term girlfriend, Mai Yamauchi.

2020: 2020 Tokyo Olympics

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Nishikori recorded his first top 10 win since 2018 by beating Andrey Rublev. He reached the quarterfinals, losing to Novak Djokovic.

2021: 2021 Rotterdam and Dubai Quarterfinals, Miami Open

In 2021, Kei Nishikori made the quarterfinals in Rotterdam and Dubai. He was seeded at the Miami Open, losing in the third round.

2021: 2021 Citi Open and US Open

In 2021, Nishikori participated in the Citi Open in Washington, reaching the semifinals. He reached the third round at the 2021 US Open. He played his last event of the season at the 2021 BNP Paribas Open, losing in the second round.

2021: 2021 ATP Cup and Australian Open

In 2021, Nishikori started his season at the ATP Cup, losing both singles matches. At the Australian Open, he lost in the first round.

2021: 2021 Clay-Court Season Progress

In 2021, Nishikori's clay-court swing showed progress. He reached the third round in Barcelona, Madrid, and Rome. He recorded his best Grand Slam result in over a year at the French Open, reaching the fourth round.

2021: 2021 Grass Court Season

Nishikori's 2021 grass court swing was much more quiet, losing in Halle to Sebastian Korda and in Wimbledon to Jordan Thompson.

January 25, 2022: Announcement of Hip Surgery

On January 25, 2022, Kei Nishikori announced that he would undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left hip and aimed to return to the tour in about six months.

April 2023: Comeback Announcement

In April 2023, after one and a half years of absence, Kei Nishikori announced that he was planning to make his comeback at a Challenger level in May 2023.

May 2023: Planning Comeback at Challenger Level

In April 2023, after one and a half years of absence, Kei Nishikori announced that he was planning to make his comeback at a Challenger level in May 2023.