Nishikori, a Japanese tennis hero who went on an "incident" abyss, denied retirement rumors, saying, "Misinformation → We will reveal it soon.""

*This content was translated by AI.

Kei Nishikori (37), once revered as a hero of Japanese tennis for having the best performance among Asian men's singles tennis players, has flatly denied recent reports of retirement. The move came not long after the announcement of an apology following the alleged affair caused great disappointment to fans.

Nishikori spoke directly on his SNS on the 5th (Korea Standard Time) about retirement rumors that have recently spread from the Portuguese media. "There's a lot of misinformation floating around right now," he said in a post written in English, clearly drawing the line, "I'm going to play in the ATP Challenger Tour Sarasota Open in the United States this week, and I'm not retiring right now."

Earlier, Portuguese media 'Hecord' reported that Nishikori, who fell to 417th place in the world, will leave the court after the tournament. In response, Nishikori added, "We will deliver the latest information directly in the near future regarding whether to retire or not," asking for restraint from speculative reports.

Nishikori has faced heavy criticism over his off-court privacy back in June 2025. At the time, when the Japanese local media "Juemunchun" reported on the alleged affair with model Azuki Oguchi, Nishikori virtually admitted it by issuing an apology with a handwritten signature.

The public shock was even greater because he was a "father player" who married model-turned-Yamauchi Mai in December 2020 and had two children. In particular, he was criticized a lot for being caught wearing his sponsor, Uniqlo, and going to meet Azuki Oguchi.

At the time, he apologized in an apology, saying, "I apologize for causing discomfort to the officials for my insincere behavior. In particular, I am deeply reflecting on my hurt family," he said, bowing.

Nishikori, who has had a brilliant career in men's singles, including runner-up at the 2014 U.S. Open, No. 4 in the world in 2015, and bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics, is facing the biggest crisis in his career due to frequent injuries and privacy controversies. The ranking has already fallen to the top 400 after suffering from injuries along with privacy issues.

Meanwhile, Nishikori will make his comeback at the Sarasota Open, the promised land where he won in 2010. Nicholas Kicker (Argentina), ranked 339th in the world, is the first round opponent scheduled for 11 p.m. on the 6th. Attention is focusing on what kind of game Nishikori will play at a time when rumors of retirement are rising following the controversy over the affair.

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*This content was translated by AI.