Kei Nishikori Ends Tennis Career With Tokyo Loss

Kei Nishikori’s professional tennis career ended Thursday with a 6-4, 6-4 loss to Frances Tiafoe in the first round of the Japan Open in Tokyo. The 36-year-old former world No. 4 was then honored with a farewell tribute before the home crowd at a tournament he won in 2012 and 2014. Nishikori, who had said this would be his final season, received a wildcard entry to the event. Reports differ on when he announced his retirement plans: one account says he did so in May, while another says he announced in April that the season would be his last. The available accounts do not establish whether those dates refer to separate announcements. After the match, Nishikori walked around the main court as the crowd applauded. A video tribute included messages from Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Andy Murray and other players. Djokovic praised Nishikori’s resilience through injuries and said he was glad Nishikori was ending his career in his home country, in front of his supporters. Nishikori said playing in Japan was special and expressed pride that he had continued fighting through the end of the match.