Japanese Tennis Star Nishikori Announces Retirement

Tokyo, May 1 (Jiji Press)--Japanese professional tennis star Kei Nishikori said on social media Friday that he will retire from competition at the end of this season.

Nishikori, 36, who was formerly ranked fourth in the world in men's tennis singles and has won 12 tour titles, a record high for any Japanese tennis player, has been suffering from injuries in recent years.

"Looking back on everything up to this point, I can proudly say that I gave it my all," he said in a post.

A native of Shimane Prefecture, western Japan, Nishikori started playing tennis at age 5 and joined IMG Academy, a world-famous boarding school and sports training facility, in Florida at age 13.

He became a professional player in 2007 and won his first tour title at the 2008 Delray Beach International Tennis Championships when he was 18.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]