It’s true, it was in October 2007 at the Japan Open that Kei Nishikori introduced himself as a professional tennis player. But then, the Japanese guy has been playing tennis since childhood, he married the racquet sport when he was just five years old.
Counting Kei’s achievements in the game, it is fair to declare him the lord of tennis in Asia. Hailing from the most populous and largest continent in the world, Kei Nishikori has distinguished himself remarkably in his chosen profession.
Besides emerging as the first Asian man to qualify for a Grand Slam singles final, Nishikori is also celebrated as the first Asian player to reach the ATP World Tour finals. Given these remarkable achievements, it’s no surprise that Kei is also the only Japanese player to place in the top 5 singles players.
Kei Nishikori’s string of records is not a new thing, it dates back to when he was still considered an amateur player. His records indicate that he showed he would be a force to be reckoned with in the sport in 2001. On the 5th, 7th and 8th months of said year, Kei respectively dominated at the Japan Select Junior Tennis Championship Japan Elementary School Tennis and the Japan Junior Tennis Championship.
Two years later (in 2013), things started to fall into place for Kei to conquer the world of tennis at a professional level. That year, the Masaaki Morita Tennis Fund identified his promising tennis abilities and moved to the United States of America, where his skills were developed by IMG Academy, a preparatory athletic training boarding school located in Bradenton, in Florida.
From what we gathered, Nishikori became a student at IMG Academy when he was 14 years old. He trained in the Bollettieri tennis program and very soon began to participate in tournaments on the junior circuit. It was only a matter of time before the guy got his first victory on the ATP Tour, which happened in February 2008. After his outstanding performance at the international tournament in Delray Beach, Kei Nishikori has received the newcomer award, the ATP Newcomer.
Fast forward to 2012, Kei hinted at his intention to establish himself as Japan’s most accomplished tennis player. He made history as the first Japanese player to win the Japan Open title. As the victory unfolded in front of spectators who were largely his compatriots, it is hard for tennis fans in the country to stop adoring Kei.
Although Kei now resides in the United States of America, in America, he was born on December 29, 1989, in Matsue, Shimane, Japan to an engineer, Kiyoshi (father) and his wife, Eri. The tennis player is not the only child of his parents; before him, they had a daughter whom they named Reina.
Kei Nishikori’s net worth
The man built his wealth from his tennis prize money, numerous endorsement deals and other business ventures. Kei is still among the highest paid tennis players and even among the highest paid athletes in the world.
In 2017, the famous American business magazine (Forbes) ranked him on the list of the highest paid personalities in the world with a total of 33.9 million dollars. Much of that amount ($30 million) came from his deals with many giant establishments, including Procter & Gamble and Nike. The balance ($3.9 million) came from his salary and earnings.
Considering the above, several figures have been quoted as the total value of man’s wealth. Unfortunately, we cannot authenticate any of them, as this is only a rough estimate of his wealth.
Wife or girlfriend, is Kei Nishikori married?
While details of Kei’s endeavors as a tennis player are readily available, not much is known about his love life. This has inspired several speculations and misinformation about the man’s romantic relationships and sexual orientation.
Even though there are those who wonder if the man is gay, it is widely believed that he is not sexually attracted to his gender. As far as we can tell, the star is unmarried; he has nevertheless been romantically linked to a model called Ako Mizuki. Although it’s unproven since Kei and Ako fell in love, reports from Japan suggest the two have known each other since 2015.
This suggests that the tennis star may have had a complicated love life, as he is also believed to have been dating Honami Tsuboi, a certified yoga teacher during the same period.
His height and weight
There are studies that have suggested that a tennis player’s physical condition, such as height and weight, can influence performance. This is certainly why Kei strives to stay in shape. While it is now virtually impossible for him to do anything that will alter his 5ft 8in (177cm) height, he leads a healthy lifestyle to maintain his 70kg weight.