The End of an Era: Kei Nishikori’s Final DC Open

By Chloe Wellington-Hunt

Former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori arrived in the nation’s capital to play the DC Open one last time. He plays Monday in the first round of the ATP 500 event against the Chinese player Juncheng Shang. Nishikori’s record alone sets him apart as arguably the greatest male Asian tennis player in the history of the sport. He holds 12 career ATP singles titles, including two in Tokyo, and was the runner-up at the 2014 US Open.

Nishikori announced his retirement at the end of April. He will play through the 2026 season, concluding his career in Asia on the last swing of the year. In the announcement, he wrote, “Reaching the ATP Tour, playing at the highest level of competition, and maintaining a presence in the Top 10 is something I am extremely proud of. Whether in victory or defeat, the special atmosphere I felt in packed arenas is irreplaceable.”

A Bittersweet Return to Washington

At his press conference Sunday in Washington, Nishikori spoke about the strange feeling of playing a tournament for the last time. When asked about his goals for the tournament, Nishikori smiled and kept it simple.

“To play a good match. This is weird feeling because I know when is the last tournament and I know there is only few more matches I can play,” he said. “Of course, I want to do good, and I want to finish good. I want to play good tennis and finish it, and that’s going to be my goal.”

Nishikori won the DC Open in 2015, after coming back from a first set loss to defeat John Isner 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

“I’m really thanks to the tournament to giving me the chance to play main draw, to play with those great players again,” Nishikori said. “Yeah, I have a good memory here. I played some good matches, won one time. Long time ago, but still, it’s in my head.”

The Physical Toll Behind the Decision

Nishikori revealed–for the first time publicly–the intricacies of the physical reasons behind his retirement. While he wanted to continue his career, the toll on his body proved to be too much.

“It crossed my mind for the first time (after a tournament last August),” Nishikori said, speaking about a potential retirement. “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.”

At 36 years old, Nishikori acknowledged it hasn’t been easy–physically or mentally. He revealed that even after rehab and time off, it’s been a struggle.

“Yeah, I was really struggling last, I don’t know, ten months, one year with my body, especially my body,” Nishikori said. “Also, I didn’t feel my tennis until one month ago. I’ve been practicing a lot last two months.”

Nishikori said that he feels better now after a couple of months of practice and training, so even though his body might not be what it was before, he’s ready to give it one last shot.

“I know I haven’t played good match since, I would say, before French last year, so I don’t know how I can play tomorrow,” Nishikori said, “but I try to do my best.”

A Sea of Support from Japanese Fans

DC’s Japanese fans turned out in force just to see Nishikori practice–a sea of Japanese flags, t-shirts, and anime memorabilia filled the grounds while he warmed up.

“Yeah, I’m happy to see many Japanese even today for practice. You know, there was many,” Nishikori said. “Always happy to play here because you see a lot of Asians comes to support…That’s why also I think I enjoy this week.”

Former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka shared her admiration for Nishikori, saying that he’s been the source of Japanese pride in the sport for a long time.

“He’s done so many amazing things,” Osaka said. “He’s kind of, like, I don’t want to say, carried us on his back for so long, but he has represented Japan at the highest level for an amazingly long period of time.”