Kei Nishikori cites injuries for decision to retire at end of season
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Kei Nishikori had left hip surgery in January 2022 and remained troubled by other injuries after his competitive return in June 2023.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Kei Nishikori announced his retirement at the end of the season due to declining motivation caused by multiple injuries.
- He struggled with pain in several body parts after hip surgery in January 2022 and found it hard to regain his physical condition.
- Nishikori, the first Japanese man to reach world No. 4, will compete in the Mubadala DC Open as his final tournament.
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Japan’s former world No. 4 Kei Nishikori revealed on July 26 that his declining motivation due to mounting injuries lay behind his decision to draw the curtain on his tennis career.
Nishikori, the first Japanese player to advance to the final of a Grand Slam at the 2014 US Open, was attending a press conference for the first time since his announcement in late April that he is retiring at the end of the season.
“It crossed my mind for the first time (after a tournament last August),” the 36-year-old said. “I had pain in three, four parts of my body and I found myself unable to make up my mind to regain my physical condition in order to battle again (on the court).”
The Shimane Prefecture native had left hip surgery in January 2022 and remained troubled by other injuries after his competitive return in June 2023.
“I was having heavy feet going to practice and training. I hadn’t had that at all until then and the idea (to retire) crossed my mind,” said Nishikori, who revealed he really struggled this past year.
Nishikori reached world No. 4, the highest rank for a Japanese man in the Open era, in March 2015 and beat Rafael Nadal to win bronze in the men’s singles at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, claiming Japan’s first Olympic medal in tennis in 96 years.
Nishikori will be competing on July 27 in the first round of the Mubadala DC Open, his first tournament following his retirement announcement. KYODO NEWS