My Take
Honestly, Kei is the guy who made "a Japanese man in the world's top tier" feel normal instead of impossible, and I still get goosebumps thinking about it. When he made that 2014 US Open final, the whole country was up at 3 a.m. losing their minds, and climbing to world No. 4 against guys built like linebackers? He did it with brains, footwork and that wicked backhand, not brute force. What I love most is the stubbornness. He'd get wrecked by injuries again and again, and every time he'd just claw his way back onto the court. From a kid in Shimane shipped off to Florida at thirteen to a Rio bronze medalist, his whole run is proof that craft and grit beat raw power more often than people admit. Total respect from me.
Overview
Kei Nishikori is a Japanese professional tennis player born on December 29, 1989, in Matsue, Shimane. At age 13 he was selected by the Morrita Masaaki Tennis Fund and traveled to Florida to train at the IMG Academy, turning professional in 2007. He reached the final of the 2014 US Open — the first Asian man in history to reach a Grand Slam singles final — and achieved a career-high ATP ranking of No. 4 in 2015, the highest ever for an Asian male player. At the 2016 Rio Olympics he won a bronze medal in men's singles, Japan's first Olympic tennis medal in 96 years.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Kei Nishikori
- Name (Japanese)
- 錦織圭
- Reading
- にしこり けい
- Born
- December 29, 1989 (age 36)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Snake
- Origin
- Matsue, Shimane, Japan
- Blood type
- A
- Height
- 178 cm
- Agency
- IMG (International Management Group)
- Active years
- 2007–2026 (retirement planned)
- Occupation
- Professional tennis player
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Aomori Yamada High School (correspondence program)
- University
- Did not attend
- Debut
- Turned professional in 2007. At age 13, he was selected as a development athlete by the Morrita Masaaki Tennis Fund and traveled to the United States, where he trained at the IMG Academy in Florida.
Awards & achievements
- 2008 ATP Tour first title (Delray Beach International Tennis Championships) — youngest Asian man to win an ATP title (age 18 years, 1 month)
- 2012 Rakuten Japan Open champion
- 2014 US Open runner-up (first Asian man in history to reach a Grand Slam singles final)
- 2015 ATP World No. 4 career-high ranking (all-time highest for an Asian male player)
- 2016 Rio Olympics men's singles bronze medal (Japan's first Olympic tennis medal in 96 years)
Timeline
- 2003Selected by the Morrita Masaaki Tennis Fund; traveled to the IMG Academy in Florida, USA at age 13
- 2007Turned professional
- 2008Won his first ATP Tour title at the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships; youngest Asian man to win an ATP title (age 18 years, 1 month)
- 2014Reached the US Open men's singles final and finished runner-up; first Asian man in history to reach a Grand Slam singles final
- 2015Achieved career-high ATP ranking of World No. 4, the highest ever for an Asian male player
- 2016Won bronze medal in men's singles at the Rio Olympics; Japan's first Olympic tennis medal in 96 years
- 2018Underwent right elbow surgery and had an extended absence from the tour
- 2020Match appearances reduced, partly due to the impact of COVID-19
- 2020Announced marriage to Ako Mitsuki (real name: Mai Yamauchi) on December 18
- 2021First child born
- 2024Second child born
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Ako Mitsuki (real name: Mai Yamauchi); married December 2020
- Children
- 2 (gender and names private)
- Parents
- Father: civil engineer; Mother: homemaker
- Siblings
- 1 older sister
4. Personality
Hobbies
- Gaming
- Listening to music
Specialties
- Tennis
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadcast | 2014 US Open Men's Singles Final | Runner-up | 2014 |
| Broadcast | Rio Olympics Men's Singles Tennis | Bronze medalist | 2016 |
| Book | Kei Nishikori: Return Game | Subject | 2012 |
6. Links
- Official sitehttps://www.keinishikori.com
- Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/keinishikori/
- Xhttps://x.com/keinishikori
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%8C%A6%E7%B9%94%E5%9C%AD
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.