3) Kei Nishikori at the 2014 U.S. Open tennis tournament:
He became the first man from Japan to reach the U.S. Open semifinals in 96 years, on September 3, in New York.
Now that he's the first man from Asia to make it to the final of a Grand
Slam singles tournament, his profile - and that of his sport - figures
to grow exponentially in his home country. Even though he hasn't lived
there for years, the nation is watching as he heads into Monday's final
against Marin Cilic.
"Even from 17, 18, from when he won his first title, it's been sometimes even a bit over-the-top, maybe all a bit too early," said Nishikori's agent, Olivier Van Lindonk.
"They are so intrigued by their heroes that they want to know everything," Van Lindonk said. "I've heard so many questions about: When did he eat? When did he go to bed?"
Nishikori's surprising 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory over No. 1-ranked and seven-time major champion Novak Djokovic in the U.S. Open semifinals began at about 1 a.m. Sunday in Japan, but people across the country stayed awake to keep track.
When the match ended, Nishikori told the crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium during an on-court interview: "I hope it's big news in Japan. ... I feel the support from Japan. ... It's 4 o'clock in the morning, but I hope a lot of people watched it."
They did. As soon as he checked his phone, Nishikori found 20 messages from folks in Japan, despite the hour. Hundreds of fans celebrated after following along on television at a hotel in Nishikori's hometown of Matsue, a sleepy town with a population of less than 200,000.
It was the lead story on Sunday morning TV news programs, and the mass circulation Asahi Shimbun issued a special online edition touting Nishikori's success.
"This is easily the biggest news in the history of Japanese tennis," said Jun Kamiwazumi, a former member of Japan's Davis Cup team who reached the third round at the 1973 U.S. Open. "This will have a huge impact on the sport here, and I expect many young children will be inspired to emulate him."
Others such as Bollettieri and Djokovic echoed that opinion.
"This is definitely huge for Japan. It's a big country, over 100 million people. This can definitely be a great encouragement for tennis in that country," said Djokovic, who is from Serbia. "He's been around for the last couple of years. He's been making a lot of success. But playing finals of a Grand Slam and now fighting for a title is definitely something different."
It also will make Nishikori even more money than the $10 million in endorsements he reportedly already earns from sponsors such as clothing company Uniqlo, food company Nissin, and sports equipment company Wilson.
Nishikori, the first man from Japan to be ranked in the ATP's top 10, has existing contracts that include escalator clauses providing extra money for certain accomplishments, such as reaching a Grand Slam final.
It adds up to a far bigger take than his on-court prize money, which was less than $2 million this season entering the U.S. Open.
But what matters more to the 24-year-old Nishikori, by the sound of it, is the impact he can have in his native country.
"I hope more kids start playing tennis," he said. "U.S. has a lot of respect for the sports, but not as much in Japan. I hope I can make a little bit difference."
Given the attention Nishikori is getting, a championship in New York would seem to be certain to reverberate in Tokyo.
"He's a hero there. He's been a hero there for a while. Ever since he hit the top 20, it's been crazy. But we're getting to another level now," said Van Lindonk, the agent. "You become very popular when you win."
September 08, 2014(Mainichi Japan)
NEW YORK (Kyodo) -- Kei Nishikori came up short in his bid to become the first Asian man to win a Grand Slam title, losing in straight sets to Marin Cilic in the U.S. Open final on Monday.
Tenth-seeded Nishikori fell 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 to his Croatian opponent, who served up 17 aces to just two from Nishikori.
"(Cilic) was playing really well today," Nishikori said. "I couldn't play my tennis."
"I was a little bit tight and nervous, playing in my first (Grand Slam) final. I was trying to concentrate, but it wasn't enough, I guess. I couldn't fight one more match."
Nishikori got off to a shaky start against the 14th-seeded Cilic. Though he saw a break opportunity in the first game after Cilic missed on two consecutive forehands, he failed to convert as the Croatian powered a crosscourt winner and prevailed in the first deuce.
Cilic went on to break Nishikori in the sixth game and serve out for an early advantage, wrapping up the set in just 33 minutes.
Nishikori could not find any answers in the second set as the 1.98-meter Cilic continued to overpower him. Facing triple break point in the third game, Nishikori scrapped out three straight points, ending with a crafty drop shot from the baseline, but ultimately lost the game to go down an early break.
He traded breaks with his opponent late in the set, but could not budge the big-serving Cilic who secured a two sets to love lead.
The third and final set kicked off with three straight aces from Cilic as his dominant form continued. Nishikori lost serve in the fourth game when his backhand at 30-40 missed wide, again dropping an early break he would never make up.
Nishikori's last credible threat came at 4-2, but he failed to convert on double break point and Cilic sent the game to deuce with yet another ace. Though Nishikori created a break chance by winning the first point, his forehand shot in the crucial second point clipped the top of the net, and like so much on this cool, breezy evening, did not go Nishikori's way.
Cilic won the game to maintain his advantage, and two games later sealed the championship victory with a backhand winner at the 1 hour, 53 minute mark.
"Overall with the last three or four players that I played against I had a losing record," said Cilic, who had lost five of seven meetings with Nishikori prior to Monday's final. "But you never know when you come on the court. You can't be stuck with your own tactics. If it's working well, of course -- but if not, you have to be open."
"I just felt if I played right, I'm going to have a good chance. Because even (the) matches I have lost to Kei were extremely close."
In their previous two matches at the U.S. Open, Nishikori won a five-setter in the second round in 2010 while Cilic came out on top in four sets when they met in the third round in 2012.
"(It is) really tough to get confidence from today's match," Nishikori said. "I had so many unforced errors that I usually don't have. But (Cilic) served great and (was) very aggressive with both his forehand and backhand."
"I'm sorry I couldn't get the trophy today, but I'm really happy to make it to my first (Grand Slam) final," Nishikori said of his role in the first major final since the 2005 Australian Open not to feature any of the "Big Four" of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer or Andy Murray.
Despite losing out in the final, Nishikori has reached No. 8 in the world tennis rankings, the highest spot ever attained by a Japanese man.
He started the year at world No. 17, moving up to No. 12 after successfully defending his title in Memphis in February and capturing his first career clay-court title at the Barcelona Open in April. The following month, Nishikori became the first Japanese male player to break into the top ten when he reached No. 9 after his run to the Madrid Open final.
Throughout the year, Nishikori has consistently credited his newest coach, 1989 French Open champion Michael Chang, for improving his game and helping him to play aggressive tennis.
Nishikori also said it was Chang who advised him to play in the year's final Grand Slam when his participation had been in doubt due to injury. The 24-year-old missed nearly a month of competitive tennis due to a cyst that was removed from his right big toe on Aug. 4.
Having resumed on-court training only a week prior to his first-round match at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Nishikori needed every ounce of fortitude to reach the final round in a championship bid reminiscent of his mentor Chang's famed on-court toughness.
While the 25-year-old Cilic had been efficient in advancing to Monday's final, mowing down Federer and Tomas Berdych in straight sets in the semis and quarterfinals, respectively, Nishikori had to endure back-to-back five-setters in sweltering New York heat. He needed more than four hours each in the round of 16 and quarters to defeat Milos Raonic and Stan Wawrinka, respectively, and four sets to eliminate world No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
Nishikori's historic run made him the first Japanese man to reach the U.S. Open semifinals since Ichiya Kumagai in 1918, and his win over Djokovic marked the first time an Asian man ever advanced to a Grand Slam singles final.
The Shimane native's previous best finish at the U.S. Open had come in his 2008 debut, when he reached the round of 16 by upsetting then world No. 4 David Ferrer of Spain.
September 09, 2014(Mainichi Japan)
