Nishikori reups lucrative deal with Japan Airlines

Long before Naomi Osaka burst onto the tennis scene, compatriot Kei Nishikori was establishing himself as the face of the Tokyo 2020 Games, racking up high-profile sponsorship deals.

Though he’s reached just one Grand Slam final at the 2014 US Open, Nishikori has stood alongside Roger Federer (20 Grand Slams), Rafael Nadal (20), Novak Djokovic (18) and Serena Williams (23) as one of the highest-paid athletes in the world for years now. In 2020 alone, the world No. 39 was the sixth highest-paid tennis player ($32.1M), behind the Big 3, Osaka and Serena.

So, it’s not surprising that Nishikori has re-upped one of his major partnerships: on Monday, he extended his deal with Japan Airlines.

In 2016, he inked a huge deal with Japanese retailer Uniqlo, reported to be worth over $10 million a year. Uniqlo, which ended its five-year partnership with Djokovic in 2017, has since signed a $300 million endorsement deal with Federer.

Having experienced a series of career-threatening injuries—including his right wrist, right elbow and right shoulder—the former world No. 4 is slowly mounting a spirited comeback since undergoing right elbow surgery in 2019.

"I had elbow surgery two years ago, a shoulder injury last year and couldn’t play three or four months. I’ve had many injuries. I have to be happy, and I’ve been playing well [over] the past two weeks,” he said in March, fresh off a win over David Goffin in Dubai. “My goal is to return to the Top 10, [the] Top 5 hopefully. I think it will be a long way back, because everyone is playing well. I have to step up more against Top 50 opponents, but I’ve been enjoying the challenge."

Nishikori is competing in Barcelona this week, where he’s enjoyed great success with back-to-back triumphs in 2014 and 2015.