Kei Nishikori bows out in Tokyo as Tiafoe ends a trailblazing career

Kei Nishikori's professional career ended where so much of it was celebrated. The 36-year-old Japanese star lost 6-4, 6-4 to second seed Frances Tiafoe in the first round of the Japan Open on Thursday, and the Ariake Coliseum crowd rose to salute a player who changed what Asian men's tennis believed was possible.

The scoreline was straightforward. The occasion was anything but. After match point, Tiafoe kept his celebrations muted and met Nishikori at the net with a long embrace, a gesture that set the tone for an emotional farewell ceremony on the Tokyo centre court.

"I kept fighting right to the end"

Addressing the home crowd, Nishikori thanked his opponent and the fans who had followed him for almost two decades. "I finished my last match in Japan, it was great moment for me. Thanks to Tiafoe, he played a great match and I hope he does good this week. Thank you for supporting my tennis career of almost 20 years," he said, as reported by Ubitennis.

He later described how the end hit him while sitting on his chair. According to reports, Nishikori spoke of "a sense of loss" that came all at once, but also of pride that he had "devoted my whole life to this one thing" and had kept putting in the effort all the way to this point. "Playing in Japan is always a special moment," he said, adding that he was proud he had not given up.

Organisers honoured him with a video tribute featuring messages from some of the biggest names in the sport. Novak Djokovic, who faced Nishikori 20 times, praised his perseverance: "Your resilience and your fighting spirit to always come back after all the adversity you had with your body, injuries and everything that you faced is really commendable and admirable." Stefanos Tsitsipas said Nishikori had "captivated audiences everywhere with your one-of-a-kind playing style", while Grigor Dimitrov, Andy Murray and Alex de Minaur all singled out his famous two-handed backhand.

A career that opened doors

Nishikori's place in tennis history is secure. At the 2014 US Open he became the first Asian man to reach a Grand Slam singles final, losing to Marin Čilić in New York. A year later he climbed to a career-high No. 4 in the ATP Rankings, the best ever by an Asian man, and he was only the second Asian man to break into the Top 10 after Thailand's Paradorn Srichaphan.

Across his career he won 12 ATP Tour titles from 27 finals, including the Japan Open itself in 2012 and 2014, and collected more than 450 tour-level match wins. He reached two semi-finals at the season-ending ATP Finals and four Masters 1000 finals, though a title at that level eluded him.

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The later chapters were shaped by his body. Repeated injuries kept him off the tour for long spells and pushed him down the rankings; he arrived at his final event ranked No. 436. Yet he kept returning, which is precisely what Djokovic chose to highlight in his message.

Tiafoe moves on

For Tiafoe, the win carried an unusual weight. The American understood he was the man closing the book on a pioneer, and his restraint at match point said as much. On the court, he did what he needed to do: no sets dropped, a clean 6-4, 6-4 result and a place in the second round.

It was a day of upheaval in Tokyo. Third seed Taylor Fritz, sixth seed Casper Ruud and fifth seed Brandon Nakashima all fell in the opening round. According to the draw, Tiafoe's next opponent is Arthur Fils, with the round of 16 scheduled to be played across Friday and Saturday at Ariake.