Do we like Kei Nishikori?
Our score: 7 out of 10. A clean record on harm and a long, gracious career, held back by one 2025 apology for personal conduct.
Nishikori left Shimane in Japan at 14 to train at IMG Academy in Florida, reportedly without any English. He turned pro in 2007 and won his first ATP title in 2008 at just 18, while ranked 244th. For a generation of Asian tennis fans, that was the start of something big.
The peak came in 2014, when he knocked off Novak Djokovic in the US Open semis and became the first Asian man to reach a Grand Slam singles final. He hit a career-high world No. 4 in 2015 and took bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics. He finished with 12 tour titles and wins over Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.
The harm check is short because there isn't much to find. We found no anti-LGBTQ+ comments, no conspiracy theories and no campaigning against anyone's rights. He tends to stay out of politics, and his long-running sponsors are mainstream brands. That's the honest picture: a clean sheet, though a quiet one.
The stain is from June 2025. Japanese weekly Shukan Bunshun reported he had been seeing a model while married. The Daily Beast reported he didn't deny it. He apologised for his “dishonest behavior” and said he'd work to regain trust. It's a personal failing, not a pattern of harm to others, but it counts on the nice scale.
Then came the farewell. He announced in May that he'd retire at season's end, writing “I still wish I could continue my playing career.” On 1 October a packed Tokyo crowd stood for him as he lost to Tiafoe. Djokovic sent a video tribute saying he was glad Nishikori was ending his career in front of his own people.
The good stuff is real if modest. He has played charity exhibitions with his coach Michael Chang, with proceeds going to the Chang foundation and HomeAid Orange County. Peers like Tiafoe and Osaka rate him highly, and Tiafoe said he learned to hit backhands because of him.