Kei Nishikori Sponsors
Japanese star Kei Nishikori is one of the most highly paid tennis players. His off-court income is off the charts for someone with his accomplishments. For example, Kei is yet to win a grand slam but earns more in endorsement earnings than players with more than 15 grand slam titles.
Nishikori is highly sought after in his native Japan. He is only of the few internationally recognizable faces from the country and brands have rushed to sign him up to promote their brands.
Nishikori had an adoring fan base in Japan. His practice sessions in his country got to out of hand due to massive crowds that he moved his practice base to Japan. In 2014, he became the first man from Asia to reach a grand slam final at the 2014 US Open.
With Tokyo hosting the 2020 Olympics, Nishikori is likely to be the face of many advertisement campaigns.
Uniqlo
Nishikori has a clothing deal with Uniqlo. Interestingly, he also wears Nike shoes. Nishikori has been the brand ambassador for the Japanese fast retail giant since 2011. In 2016, Uniqlo renewed the deal with Nishikori. The latest deal reportedly earns him more than $10 million a year.
Nissin
Tokyo based Nissin Foods has sponsored Nishikori since 2008. Fellow Japanese player Naomi Osaka is also sponsored by Nissin. Both players have appeared in ads together. Nissin logo can be seen in Nishikori’s Uniqlo shirt.
Nike
Nishikori wears Nike shoes on the court. In 2018, Nike released The NikeCourt Air Zoom Vapor X LTR PE “Nishikori” shoe. The wave print on the upper part of the shoe references Nishikori’s hometown of Matsue, which translates roughly to “Water City.” The sock liner print is an ode to Japanese cherry blossoms.
Wilson
Nishikori has been using Wilson racquets for a long time. Nishikori’s current racquet is the Wilson Ultra 95. He signed a lifetime deal with Wilson in 2015.
Jaguar
In 2014, Coventry, UK based Jaguar signed Nishikori as its ambassador to promote the brand in Japan. Jaguar also presented him with the Jaguar F-TYPE V8 S Convertible,
Japan Airlines
Nishikori’s partnership with Japan Airlines began in 2015. In 2016, Japan Airlines announced that it will launch a special aircraft with Nishikori’s name. The jet, called “JET-KEI,” will begin flying on international routes on March 4, 2016.
The theme of this special aircraft was meant to capture Nishikori’s aggressive playing style and his eagerness to reach the top of the tennis world.
Asahi
Tokyo-based Asahi Breweries signed Nishikori in 2015. Nishikori became the ambassador of the non-alcoholic beer Asahi Dry Zero Free. He has appeared in TV and print advertising and supports Asahi’s ‘Drink Responsibly’ campaign.
Proctor and Gamble
Nishikori partnered with top Olympic 2020 sponsor P&G as a part of its global ‘Proud Sponsor of Moms’ campaign. He will appear in TV and digital advertisements and online films.
Weidec
Weidec is a Japanese company that makes nutritional products. Nishikori has appeared in ads promoting its products.
Airweave
Airweave has partnered with Nishikori since his early playing days. Nishikori has mentioned that the Airweave mattress topper’s perfect firmness helps him with his back pain.
NTT
NTT signed Nishikori to be part of the 2020 Olympic advertising campaign. NTT Group has collaborated with Kei Nishikori on a number of projects, including one to develop a system that enables users to experience the vibrations of facing serves from the Japanese tennis star.