Under the terms of his contract with a noodle company that sells "instant ramen" in a cup, Japan's leading player is supposed to be addressed as Nissin Kei Nishikori, according to Mark Hodgkinson of ESPN. Nishikori's arrangement is "an indication of his commercial ambitions, as well as his stature in the market." Here is someone held in such high esteem by another of his sponsors -- a manufacturer of sanitaryware -- "that it presented him with a golden toilet." For all the expectations and pressures on Andy Murray, whom Nishikori is set to meet in the Davis Cup in Birmingham this week, "they don't quite compare to the hopes, dreams and money invested in Japan's leading man." The 2014 US Open finalist has "such an extensive portfolio of sponsors that he is earning a level of off-court money to almost rival the gilded members of the Big Four," with some estimates putting his deals at around £14.4M a year ($20M). At least a dozen companies "have a claim on Nishikori's time," with the 26-year-old expected to be one of the faces of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. His contract extension with clothing supplier Uniqlo will be worth around £36M ($50M) over a number of years; his annual fee is "reported to be higher than that being paid to Novak Djokovic." Nishikori's manager Olivier van Lindonk said, "Kei's commercial success has to do with a variety of factors. The fact that there had never previously been a Japanese male tennis player in the Top 10 has made an incredible impact on Kei's business platform." By only scheduling his commercial activity for certain times of the year, Nishikori "avoids distraction." Van Lindonk: "We set aside three blocks a year, which are each four or five days long, in which Kei takes care of all his shoots and commercial responsibilities. We plan this very carefully -- sometimes up to a year in advance -- so that it never interferes with his tournament or training schedule" (ESPN, 3/1).
