His mere presence causes hysteria and pandemonium in the Land of the Rising Sun and he has no tennis equal in a continent heaving with 4.427 billion inhabitants, yet self-effacing Kei Nishikori thinks he is simply ‘one’ of the best players in Japan.
One of the best? More like 'the best'.
For a continent that has failed to produce a single male grand slam champion in decades of trying, Nishikori now finds himself as the torch bearer of Asian tennis.
A debut appearance for an Asian man in a grand slam final -- at the US Open in September -- has only served to whet his appetite for glory rather than satisfy it.
Following his remarkable run to the Flushing Meadows showpiece, he is the first Asian to make it into the elite eight-man season finale that will be staged on the banks of London's River Thames.
"I might get nervous first time but I’ll try to play my best tennis and try not to think too much of it being the Tour Finals," Nishikori said.
"Beating Novak (Djokovic) at the US Open, it was a great experience and gave me a lot of confidence. So for sure I know I have a chance to beat the top players, so if I can play good, I have some chance to win some matches."
While tennis has produced some brash and loud characters over the years, Nishikori prefers to create a racket with his racquet.
Planning his career path as a carefully-routed marathon, rather than a 100 metre sprint to the finishing line, has served the 24-year-old well and he is in no rush to change his ways because of his latest success.
While Kei-mania has swept across Japan, with stores struggling to keep up with demand for his signature tennis shirts, rackets and shoes, those in regular touch with Nishikori said he has not let all the fuss go to his head and is still the same grounded person he was five years ago.
"A lot of people in Japan now recognise me, even in the US some people recognise me – I never had that before. It’s a great feeling. Feel like I’m famous! It’s not like I want to be famous but it’s a great motivation for me. If you have good attention, you feel more excited."
The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals will be held at The O2 from Nov 9-16.
Lippi retires from coaching after Guangzhou triumph
World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi has signalled an end to his stellar managerial career after the Italian guided Guangzhou Evergrande to their fourth successive Chinese Super League title on Sunday.
The 66-year-old's Chinese adventure was the final chapter in a remarkable coaching career that began with a host of managerial roles at lower league Italian clubs in the 1980s.
He went on to win five Serie A crowns during two separate stints with Juventus and secured a Champions League triumph with the club in 1996.
Lippi also had two stints with the national side with the highlight being when he coached Italy to victory at the 2006 World Cup. He resigned after the side put up a poor defence of their title in South Africa and joined Guangzhou in May 2012.
"It is my last match as a head coach for the club," Lippi told reporters after Guangzhou secured the title with a 1-1 draw at Shandong Luneng. "Guangzhou Evergrande will have a new coach next season.
"I will be 67 years old in the near future, and I do not want to be the head coach any more; but I will be in charge of technical staff as a member of the coaching team."
At Guangzhou, he won the league and cup double in his first campaign before leading them to another league title plus the Asian Champions League last season.
Sociedad axe coach Arrasate, Moyes linked
Real Sociedad have sacked coach Jagoba Arrasate following their poor start to the season, the La Liga club said on Sunday.
The Basque outfit were beaten 1-0 at home by Malaga on Saturday which left them one point off the bottom with six points from 10 games.
"Real Sociedad have decided to relieve Jagoba Arrasate of his role as first-team trainer," read a statement.
"The club would like to thank the professionalism, the effort and dedication shown as much by Jagoba Arrasate as his assistants Txema Lumbreras and Bittor Alkiza in their roles with the first team."
Real are yet to name his replacement but former Manchester United manager David Moyes is among the coaches in the running, media reports said.
Arrasate was assistant to Philippe Montanier and became head coach when the Frenchman left ahead of the 2013-14 season. Since then he has experienced mixed results.
In his first season, Real finished bottom of their Champions League group and ended the La Liga campaign in seventh place.
Arrasate’s position was not helped by the selling of top players like Asier Illarramendi and Antoine Griezmann to Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid respectively in the last couple of seasons.
