Kei Nishikori has enjoyed a long and hugely successful career, which has sadly been brought to an end this week.
The Japanese trailblazer, who is widely seen as the greatest Asian male tennis player of all time, lost to Frances Tiafoe earlier this week in the first round of the Japan Open.
It was a battling affair, with the 6-4, 6-4 scoreline indicative of a fierce contest.
Sadly, throughout a season where he has desperately sought to secure main draw spots through qualifying, he could not claim one final iconic victory in his home country against a hugely in-form opponent.
Is Kei Nishikori the best ever ATP player not to win a Grand Slam title?
If not, who is?
Tiafoe gladly withdrew himself from the spotlight though, allowing Kei Nishikori to enjoy his final moments on court before departing the sport for good.
And now, even days after that moment, the tributes continue to pour in for this legend.
Billie Jean King joins legendary list celebrating Kei Nishikori’s career
Billie Jean King is the latest legendary name to add her congratulations to Nishikori, as he calls time on a wonderful career.
Whilst on court, the ATP offered a warm tribute to him, including words from Novak Djokovic, Ben Shelton, Carlos Alcaraz and Andy Murray, to name just a few.
His influence went far beyond just the men’s game though, with Naomi Osaka having hailed her countryman as an inspirational figure who paved the way for her future.
King, taking to X, has since congratulated him, before writing: “Looking forward to following the next steps in your journey.”
Rafa Nadal also had a message for Nishikori, taking to social media as well earlier this week.
Kei Nishikori’s perfect end to his career with incredible 23-shot rally
Nishikori might just have ended his career in the perfect fashion, particularly for a player of his quality.
After all, whilst time may have caught up to him, the rally he and Tiafoe shared on match point was the perfect way to conclude the match and his final foray onto the tennis court, sealed in style.
As Tiafoe served, the two swiftly engaged in a backhand-to-backhand rally before the American switched things up, firing more centrally.
Nishikori then responded with a deep forehand, which Tiafoe attacked with a sharp backhand cross-court angle.
The 36-year-old, on the stretch, produced a similarly harsh angle of his own, forcing Tiafoe to simply stab the ball back into play as the rally continued.
In the end, it was two deep and powerful strokes from this year’s US Open semi-finalist that allowed him to creep into the net, and his drop volley proved too much for Nishikori to handle.
They embraced at the net, as the crowd roared for Nishikori for one final time.
