Just a one-minute English speech by thinking, Fox.
Kei Nishikori, a Japanese tennis legend, retired last week.
He had a remarkably long career; I first heard of him 20 years ago.
It was while I was watching the 2006 French Open final between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
At the time, I heard that before the final, Nadal had chosen as his hitting partner a Japanese junior player named Nishikori.
I also heard that he won the junior doubles title at that French Open.
I remember being surprised that there was such a promising young player in Japan.
His name soon became well known and in 2008 he won the Delray Beach Open by defeating James Blake.
In 2014, he beat Djokovic in the semifinal to reach the U.S. Open final, and although he lost to Marin Cilic, it was one of the greatest achievements of his career.
He also struggled with injuries for a long time, but his play continued to thrill many Japanese fans.
His playing style was characterized by a strong backhand and quickness on the court.
He had excellent footwork and hit the ball on the rise, which left his opponents little time to react.
I really enjoyed watching him play, especially his baseline rallies.
I'd like to say to him, "Thank you for your years of dedication to Japanese tennis and for inspiring so many Japanese players."
