Nishikori bids farewell to Grand Slams concerned about his legacy: "It's sad that there are no Asians in the top 30"

The adventure of Kei Nishikori in the Grand Slams has come to an end. At 36 years old and currently outside the top 400, the former world No. 4 played his last match in this category on Friday, losing to Rei Sakamoto (6-4, 7-6) in the final round of Qualy of the US Open 2026. A sad moment that quickly turned into a celebration.

And indeed, Nishikori has plenty to celebrate when we look back and observe his numbers. It's true that the last few seasons have been extremely tough, plagued by injuries and lacking any continuity, but this phase has allowed him to accept his conclusion better than anyone else. Today he left New York with a smile, the place where he played his only Grand Slam final back in 2014. He even had some very kind words for Sakamoto, the man he did not hesitate to name as his future successor.

No pressure in the final challenge

“I’m sure he had more pressure than I did. I came into today's match with no pressure at all. I was really excited to play against Rei. I have known him for a long time and we have trained together many times at IMG. I know he doesn’t want to lose to me right now. If it were in the past, maybe yes, but I know he doesn’t want to lose and he has been playing really well. I was very excited before the match and I think he played really well, very fast, with a good serve, and he didn’t let me play, he didn’t give me a good rhythm. So today I couldn’t play my best tennis.”

A farewell without regrets

“Nothing. I was lucky. I mean, I was happy to even be in the qualifying stage. I know it's quite rare for someone who hasn’t won a Grand Slam or doesn't have any Masters titles to get a wildcard. So I’m very happy to be here and I think Stan (Wawrinka) deserves it. He has won many Grand Slams, he has been around for so long, he continues to fight, and I’m very proud of him and have great respect for what he’s doing now. I would have loved to win today and enter the main draw, but I am still very happy to have played three matches, three good matches.”

A true champion!

Congratulations on a great career, @keinishikori. pic.twitter.com/GqcmocgXTd

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 28, 2026

Federer, Nishikori's idol

“I don’t know. I think so. He is too great for tennis. I see many articles about who the GOAT is, but for me, he was my idol. Maybe based on results it’s Djokovic, but when I wanted to watch tennis, he was the player whose tennis I really enjoyed watching. Beautiful tennis. I have a lot of respect for him and I played many matches against him. I won a couple, and they were great memories for me, great achievements. I’m sure he still has a lot of fans even now.”

Admiration for Djokovic and Nadal

“I really respect that Novak is still in the top 10, in the top 5, and continues to play great tennis. There may be some injuries, but he keeps fighting. It’s not easy to do, so I really respect those players and of course, also Rafa.”

Kei Nishikori talks about the legacy he wants to leave in Asia

“I still don’t have any plans. I hope to be able to help, especially Japanese or Asian tennis. It's a bit sad that there are no Asian players in the top 20 or top 30 after me. That worries me a little, but as you can see with Jason, Yibing, and Jerry, there are many Chinese players who can be in the top 20, I hope even in the top 10, and Rei can also be a great player. I hope to be able to help in some way, maybe not now, but definitely in the future. I hope there can be three or four players in the top 20 or top 30.”

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Nishikori dice adiós a los Grand Slam preocupado por su legado: "Es triste que no haya ningún asiático en el top30"