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World No. 45 founded annual tournament for promising juniors in Japan
Yoshihito Nishioka, Action Man.

Life on the ATP Tour involves enough time spent practising, preparing, and recovering from competing that off-court escapes have become all-important for the Japanese star. The 2023 season has been no exception for Nishioka, whose experiences this year include flying a plane through the skies above Phoenix, Arizona, in March.

“It was my first time flying [a plane]," Nishioka told ATPTour.com earlier this year. "The person who was sitting with me, he just got a licence and he wanted me to sit by him. It was really great. I cannot do that in Japan, so it was really fun.

“I love Phoenix because the nature is beautiful. Sometimes a bit too hot and very dry, but I love nature. for like five minutes. We flew for two hours, but he said, ‘Okay, there is nothing around this area, so you can do it’. I tried. It was so scary, but it was a good experience.”


A two-time ATP Tour champion, Nishioka feels non-tennis activities are essential to maintain a healthy balance for players who spend much of the year on the road.

“You cannot be always focused,” said the 27-year-old. “We need some time to relax, to play the next week or the next tournament. That kind of thing is very important for us and we can appreciate it, too.”

That even applies to days off during tournament weeks. A couple of weeks after Nishioka touched down safely in Phoenix, he was gliding across the waves off the Miami coast on a jetski during his stay at the Miami Open presented by Itau.

“We’re [often] looking for something that we can do in tournament time,” said Nishioka. “I need to relax sometimes when we have a day off. So we're always looking for something and it's always enjoyable. I don't want to get too tired, like doing something for the whole day. But a couple of hours or something, that should be great.”


Nishioka's off-court activities aren't all adrenaline-fuelled outings. As the leading Japanese player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, his desire to see his nation continue to develop top talent led to him founding ‘Yoshi’s Cup’, an annual tournament in Tokyo, in cooperation with a TV company.

“It was during COVID time. So many juniors lost many tournaments, even within Japan,” explained Nishioka. “So they were practising, but they had no motivation to practise because they didn't have any tournaments.

“So I wanted to open up the tournament. I have a name in Japan for tennis, so I thought if I do that, maybe it will interest [the juniors]. It was only supposed to be one time, but after we did it some other people who helped with my tournament and love tennis said, ‘Actually, this is very good for tennis in Japan. So we think we should keep doing this every year and keep improving the tournament’. I can only do it one time a year, but it should be very helpful for juniors."


With help from coaches from the Japanese Tennis Federation, Nishioka selects eight junior boys, who must all be aged 16 or under, to compete in an event that is streamed live on his YouTube channel. More than 2000 people have tuned in to watch at times and, with all expenses paid and significant prize money on offer, this is no ordinary junior event. But Nishioka says this is for a good reason.

“In Japan we are far away from anywhere. If we have to go somewhere like the U.S. or Europe, it is very expensive,” he said. “For the tournaments for juniors under 16, they cannot go by themselves, so they need someone to go with them, a parent or a coach, and the price is going to double. So I want to give support for this. I want to give a chance to somebody who is very talented. I'm not certain they can be a great player, but they can use a chance. I want to give this chance.

“So, this tournament has prize money. Every year, it's improving by $10,000. This year's winner can get $30,000, so it is huge money for a junior if they get it. I also give an [ITF World Tennis Tour] Futures wild card in Japan. So it’s not only for a junior, but one who wants to be a pro. I want to give the chance to play some professional tournaments.”

As he prepares to take on Alexander Zverev in the second round at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, some may ask why Nishioka has already started such a big off-court project that could potentially distract him during the peak of his pro career. In fact, says the 27-year-old, his current status as a Top 50 player makes it the perfect time.

“I'm doing it now because I have a profile in Japan right now for tennis,” said Nishioka. “So if I ask someone [for something], they might listen to what I say. But if I finish my career, maybe they don't listen, or other players will have a stronger profile. Now I have value [to make things happen] and I want to move [the project along], so I'm asking many companies to invest in tennis.”

Japanese star will pursue third ATP Tour title this week
As a diminutive player who concedes height to almost every player he meets, Japanese star Yoshihito Nishioka is a master at thinking laterally to topple the giants of the tennis tour.

The detailed plotting of the 27-year-old, who is the eighth seed for the Huafa Properties Zhuhai Championships beginning on Wednesday, worked wonders in the first half of the season.

The left-hander, who defends superbly and excels when through changing the tempo and trajectory of rallies, was surging to a Top 20 Pepperstone ATP Ranking breakthrough midway through the year.

“I don’t play with power, so I have to think about how to play my points, and always have to make big plans as to how to beat my opponents before I go on to the court,” he said.

“Sometimes I think my tennis is interesting to watch, because some other players don’t do it like I do. That is the reason some of the bigger players don’t like it, that they start to panic a little bit.

“But that is the way I play. I have to do things differently.”

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Nishioka peaked at a ranking of 24 in June after reaching the second week of the Australian Open and French Open for the first time in what he considered a big step forward in his career.

But the rise in rankings also led to an increase in the expectations Nishioka placed on himself and, as he said in Zhuhai on Monday, resulted in his brain working overtime.

“It is always special when you do well in a Grand Slam and it was my first time in the Round of 16 at the Aussie Open and also at the French Open. It was a great feeling,” he said.

“But that was interesting, because I started to feel more pressure because I had to keep the seeding, keep the ranking. I was thinking too much. I started to feel that pressure.

“That is the reason that, after the French Open, I didn’t do so well on the Tour. That is something I have learned from this rise and I think I had to change (things) a little bit.”

The No. 1-ranked player in the Asian region hit a lean spell after Roland Garros, with his only triumph in six subsequent tournaments coming in the Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000.

“I was very close to the Top 20 but when I thought too much about what it is, then (I put) a little bit too much pressure on myself, (which was) different from normal,” he said.


Nishioka said he is delighted to be back competing in Asia, where he has recorded his best results on the ATP Tour.

He claimed his maiden ATP Tour title in Shenzhen in 2018 and last year won in Seoul, defeating then-World No. 2 Casper Ruud on the way to the championship.

The Huafa Properties Zhuhai Championships marks the return of tennis to China after a hiatus and Nishioka believes the swing through Asia, which includes Tokyo next month, suits him.

He faces a challenging opening round match in Zhuhai against French player Terence Atmane, who last week won an ATP Tour Challenger title in Guangzhou.

But Nishioka is feeling comfortable on the hard courts at the Hengqin International Tennis Center, which hosts the Huafa Properties Zhuhai Championships beginning on Wednesday, 20 September.

“It is always good to come back for the Asian Swing and it is the first time the ATP Tour events are back in China after COVID, so I really am very excited to be able to play here,” he said.

“I won my first ATP Tour event in China and I have played well here. It is always enjoyable to play in China and to compete in Asia again."

“If I can play much, much better, that will be great.”