Kei Nishikori, who has won 12 titles on the ATP Tour and climbed as high as No. 4 in the world rankings, on Thursday announced his retirement. | REUTERS

Kei Nishikori, one of the brightest-ever stars in Japanese tennis and the first Asian man to reach a Grand Slam final during the open era, will hang up his racket at the end of the season, he announced on Thursday.

“Since I was a child, I have been passionate about tennis and I have continued to pursue it with only one dream in my heart: ‘I want to compete on the world stage,’” Nishikori, 36, wrote in a statement posted to social media.

Nishikori won 12 titles on the ATP Tour, the last coming at the Brisbane International in 2019. He won twice on home soil, with victories at the Japan Open in 2012 and 2014. He also won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

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