Kei Nishikori

Kei Nishikori (錦織 圭, Nishikori Kei, [niɕi̥ꜜkoɽi keː]; born 29 December 1989) is a Japanese professional tennis player, ranked world No. 7 as of 1 February 2016. He is the only male Japanese tennis player ever to be ranked inside the top 10 in ATP Singles Ranking. He began playing tennis at the age of five and qualified for his first ATP main draw event at the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles at the age of 17. Nishikori was named ATP Newcomer of the Year in 2008. He has won ten singles titles and was runner-up at the 2014 US Open, making him the first ever male player from an Asian country to reach a Grand Slam singles final. He also became the first man from Asia to qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals and reached the semi-finals in 2014. He first reached his career-high singles ranking of world No. 4 in March 2015.

Personal life

Nishikori was born in Matsue in Shimane Prefecture, Japan. His father, Kiyoshi, is an engineer, and his mother, Eri, is a piano teacher. He has an older sister, Reina, who graduated from college and works in Tokyo. He began playing tennis at the age of five. He first won the All Japan Tennis Championships for Kids in 2001. He graduated from Aomori-Yamada High School, and moved to Florida to join the IMG Academy. His pastimes include football, golf, reading, and listening to music.