5 Things You Need To Know About Kei Nishikori Of Japan

Kei Nishikori took the spotlight when he became the first Japanese to be a tennis Grand Slam finalist and beat Novak Djokovic. Here are five things you need to know about him.

1. Michael Chang, his coach, is the youngest winner of a Grand Slam title.

Michael Chang bagged the French Open title in 1989 at the age of 17 and four months. Back in his prime years, the 41-year-old rose to the world no. 2 ranking and reached the U.S. Open final in 1996.

Chang met Kei Nishikoki at a fund-raising event in Japan and started coaching him on a part-time basis.

2. Kei Nishikori is the first younger man to beat Novak Djokovic in a match.

Although Djokovic had previously lost to Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the past, the world's no. 1 has never lost to a younger man in a Grand Slam match -- until Nishikori.

3. Kei Nishikori is the youngest player to reach the ATP top 100.

The 24-year-old broke into the ATP top 100 in 2008 at the age of 18 and bagged the title ATP Newcomer of the Year. He's also the first Asian to have the accolade.

4. Kei Nishikori has unusually supportive parents.

His father, Kiyoshi Nishikori an engineer and his mother, Eri Nishikori a piano teacher recognized his need to go abroad to nurture his tennis talents early on. After he first played tennis at his Japanese hometown, his parents helped him secure a scholarship and moved to Florida. According to his father Japanese players have n0t succeeded much because of weak sense of individuality relative to players abroad.

Nishikori arrived in the U.S. at the age of 14 as a shy boy with limited English capabilities and started training at IMG Academy in Brendon and eventually turning pro in 2007.

5. Kei Nishikori is among the most commercially viable tennis players.

Earning 11 million U.S. dollars from June 2013 to June 2014, Forbes reported that Nishikori is the fifth highest-paid men's tennis player in the world after Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Nadal and Djokovic.