The Japanese star advanced in Madrid to crack a milestone.
By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday April 23, 2025
35-year-old Kei Nishikori is still loving his time on tour, and still racking up wins.
The former World No. 4 defeated Aleksandar Vukic on Thursday in Madrid, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, to become the eighth active player to reach 450 wins. Nishikori, a 12-time ATP title winner, is the first Asian man to achieve that number.
Coming from a country that had never had a Top-40 player, it’s quite a marker. How did Nishikori get so far?
“I have no idea,” he said with a smile on court. “I just tried to play one match at a time.”
2014 Madrid runner up Nishikori, who faces Denis Shapovalov in the second round, hopes he can get at least 50 more wins.
“That’s a lot,” he said of his current total. “Hopefully I can reach 500. ”
Active ATP Players with 450 or More Wins:
Djokovic, 1136
Gasquet, 609
Cilic, 590
Monfils, 581
Wawrinka, 579
Zverev, 482
Dimitrov, 471
Nishikori, 450
The Shimane, Japan native, who underwent hip surgery in 2022, was nominated for ATP Comeback player of the year in 2024. He started the season by reaching the final in Hong Kong, which was his first ATP final in six years.
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