Kei Nishikori had to clear up rumours that he was retiring from tennis this week.
After reports suggested that Nishikori would retire at the Sarasota Challenger event in America, he shared the following statement on X.
“Hi, everyone. Lots of false info out there. Yes, I am playing the Sarasota Challenger at the IMG Academy, and no, I am not retiring this week. I will make an update myself on this topic in the near future. Thank you,” he said.
He definitely won’t be hanging up his racket in Sarasota, Florida, but where else could Nishikori retire from tennis?
Kei Nishikori could retire from tennis at the Barcelona Open
Nishikori is currently scheduled to play qualies in Tallahassee next week.
However, if there is some truth to the rumours, and Nishikori is looking to retire sooner rather than later, perhaps a trip to Barcelona could be on the cards…
The Barcelona Open is the only clay-court ATP event Nishikori has won.
Nishikori lifted the trophy in 2014 and 2015, before losing in the 2016 final to Rafael Nadal.
Kei Nishikori’s 12 ATP titles
| Tournament | Tier | Surface | Final opponent | Score |
| 2008 Delray Beach Open | ATP 250 | Hard | James Blake | 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 |
| 2012 Japan Open | ATP 500 | Hard | Milos Raonic | 7-6, 3-6, 6-0 |
| 2013 U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships (Now defunct) | ATP 500 | Indoor hard | Feliciano Lopez | 6-2, 6-3 |
| 2014 U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships (Now defunct) | ATP 250 | Indoor hard | Ivo Karlovic | 6-4, 7-6 |
| 2014 Barcelona Open | ATP 500 | Clay | Santiago Giraldo | 6-2, 6-2 |
| 2014 Malaysian Open (Now defunct) | ATP 250 | Indoor hard | Julien Benneteau | 7-6, 6-4 |
| 2014 Japan Open | ATP 500 | Hard | Milos Raonic | 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 |
| 2015 Memphis Open (Now defunct) | ATP 250 | Indoor hard | Kevin Anderson | 6-4, 6-4 |
| 2015 Barcelona Open | ATP 500 | Clay | Pablo Andujar | 6-4, 6-4 |
| 2015 Washington Open | ATP 500 | Hard | John Isner | 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 |
| 2016 Memphis Open (Now defunct) | ATP 250 | Indoor hard | Taylor Fritz | 6-4, 6-4 |
| 2019 Brisbane International | ATP 250 | Hard | Daniil Medvedev | 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 |
Having enjoyed as much success in Barcelona as he has, Nishikori would be well within his rights to ask for a last-minute wild card.
If the Barcelona Open has a spot free, they would surely grant his request and let the Japanese star bow out of professional tennis at their event.
He could retire at another event that he’s won twice before.
Nishikori is a two-time Japan Open champion, lifting the trophy in front of his adoring home fans in 2012 and 2014.
If he is healthy enough to continue for the rest of the year, what better place for Nishikori to call it quits than in Japan?
Finally, Nishikori could choose to retire from tennis at the US Open.
As a former finalist, Nishikori would likely receive a wild card.
And a player of his calibre deserves to retire in front of a packed Grand Slam crowd!
Only time will tell what the future holds for the 36-year-old…
How much has Kei Nishikori struggled in 2026?
As Nishikori approaches the end of his injury-ridden career, he is struggling to find any form.
Kei Nishikori’s 2026 results
- Canberra Challenger – Lost in 1R
- Australian Open – Withdrew
- Challenger Thionville – Lost in 2R
- Challenger Cherbourg – Lost in 1R
Nishikori has won two qualifying matches and one main draw match this year, all at the Challenger level.
Failing to impress on the Challenger Tour, Nishikori remains ranked outside the world’s top 400.
Official ATP Rankings
| Rank | Name | Country | Career-high rank | Points |
| 486 | Lucio Ratti | Argentina | New career high | 89 |
| 487 | Taha Baadi | Morocco | New career high | 89 |
| 489 | Filip Peliwo | Poland | 161st | 89 |
| 490 | Dusan Obradovic | Serbia | 476th | 89 |
| 491 | Kei Nishikori | Japan | 4th | 88 |
| 492 | Alex Hernandez | Mexico | 409th | 88 |
| 493 | Aristotelis Thanos | Greece | 433rd | 87 |
| 494 | Tsung Hao Huang | Taiwan | 474th | 87 |
| 495 | Pietro Fellin | Italy | 453rd | 87 |
| 496 | Corentin Denolly | France | 270th | 87 |
Once ranked inside the top five, beating the likes of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal, Nishikori now sits dangerously close to a top-500 exit.
We can only hope that Nishikori rediscovers some of his best tennis for what looks likely to be his final year on tour.
Nishikori will play his first-round match at the Sarasota Challenger against Nicolas Kicker on Tuesday, April 7.
