Kei Nishikori signed two major sponsor deals this past weekend. The Japanese number one signed a deal with Japan Airlines as one of his new sponsors. He also struck a deal with his racket sponsor, Wilson, where he signed a lifetime contract with the group. Nishikori continues to add to his name brand as Asia’s top tennis superstar.

Team Wilson Tennis

Nishikori has officially joined Wilson Tennis for life and joins some of tennis’ greatest superstars and rising stars on the Wilson Tennis team. On the men’s side, he is joined by the likes of Roger Federer, Grigor Dimitrov, David Goffin, and Milos Raonic on the Wilson Tennis brigade. On the women’s side, there are Venus and Serena Williams, Petra Kvitova, Simona Halep, Victoria Azarenka, Madison Keys, and many more.

The Rich Get Richer

The 25-year-old is represented by IMG, enjoyed plenty of other lucrative deals in 2015 as well. He signed a deal with Aashi back in February of this year. He is the face of Aashi’s non-alcoholic beer, appearing in television and print advertising as head of the company’s Drink Responsibly campaign. Agent Olivier van Lindonk has helped the former US Open finalist greatly in choosing his sponsors. Van Lindock once said, “We’ve said no to several deals based on the fact that it did not fit in Kei’s lifestyle and portfolio.” The deal with Aashi is fantastic example that they want Nishikori on the right track to promoting the right things.

To continue with Nishikori’s 2015 haul, Tag Heuer, the watchmaker, extended its contract with the Japanese superstar for three years beginning earlier this year. Jaguar started selling a special edition car, the F-Type Kei Nishikori Edition, last November. In one of the more peculiar sponsors in Nishikori’s portfolio is Lixil Group Corp. which makes housing materials. To celebrate their partnership with him, they gifted the 25-year-old a golden toilet.

Nishikori’s Major Sponsors

We cannot forget the major sponsors of the world number eight. Since 2011, he’s been sponsored by Uniqlo for his attire on court. Uniqlo, which is based in Japan, has had phenomenal success with Nishikori. During this year’s Australian Open, the stock for his polo which was made for the trip sold out on the same day, prompting the company to continue to make more.

Before his attire deal with Uniqlo, Nishikori was sponsored by Adidas. Despite leaving Adidas attire after joining Uniqlo, the Japanese number one wears Adidas as his sneaker of choice. In recent memory, Nishikori has switched from the AdiZero shoe to the Barricade. With Novak Djokovic having his own line of Barricades, Nishikori now enjoys being the  most prominent user of the brand's newest designs of their most popular shoe since Andy Murray left to join Under Armour.

Nissin Noodles is also a sponsor of Nishikori's. The brand has sponsored him since 2008 and their logo can be seen on his Uniqlo attire. 

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Noel John Alberto
Filipino-American sports journalist from Toms River, NJ. UMBC Graduate and aspiring physical therapist. Tennis editor and multi-sport coordinator for VAVEL USA. Writer for Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Serie A sections of VAVEL UK. Sports aficionado. Host of the On The Line tennis podcast.