Kei Nishikori confirms retirement at end of 2026 season
Japanese tennis star Kei Nishikori, former world No. 4 and 2014 US Open finalist, announced that he will retire after the 2026 season. In a press conference in Washington D.C. on July 26, Nishikori explained that a loss of motivation and the cumulative toll of multiple injuries – including a hip operation in January 2022 and repeated elbow, hip and ankle surgeries – left him unable to rebuild his body for elite competition. He said he first considered retirement after an August tournament when he felt pain in three or four body parts and described his feet as “heavy” during training, a sensation he had never experienced before.
Nishikori will play his final ATP 500 event in Washington, opening against Chinese player Juncheng Shang on July 27. He expressed optimism about training without restraint and said he is beginning to love tennis again as his career draws to a close.
Entities: ATP · Juncheng Shang · Kei Nishikori · Kyodo News · Washington D.C.
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 2 SOURCES] Nishikori was a former world No. 4 and US Open finalist. (article description)
- [● 5 SOURCES] Kei Nishikori announced he will retire at the end of the 2026 season. (K. Nishikori)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Nishikori's first match of the Washington tournament will be against Chinese player Juncheng Shang on July 27, 2026. (tournament schedule)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Nishikori is 36 years old. (article description)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Nishikori underwent hip surgery in January 2022 and has had multiple surgeries on his elbow, hip and ankle. (article description)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Nishikori cited loss of motivation and inability to rebuild his body after multiple injuries as the reason for retirement. (Kyodo News interview)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Nishikori said his feet felt heavy during training, a new sensation for him. (Kyodo News interview)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Nishikori held a press conference in Washington D.C. on July 26, 2026 ahead of the ATP 500 tournament. (press conference report)