There's absolutely no doubt that the current rise in popularity of Japanese tennis stemmed from Kei Nishikori, whose name is now synonymous with the sport in this country.
Youngster Yoshihito Nishioka, Nishikori's compatriot, fully agrees and is pleased that tennis is gaining attention in Japan.
"Ninety percent of it has come from Nishikori. Maybe it's not an overstatement to say 100 percent," Nishioka told The Japan Times in a recent exclusive interview just days before the Japan Open in Tokyo, where he was eliminated in the first round. "But no matter how it happens, I'm just glad that our game is getting attention."