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Jiro Sato (jap. 佐藤 次郎 Satō Jirō, January 5, 1908 in Gunma Prefecture - April 5, 1934 in Strait of Malacca) was a former tennis player from Japan. He graduated from Waseda University. He was ranked World No.3 in 1933, but committed suicide in Strait of Malacca during his trip to Davis Cup 1934.
Jiro Sato reached Grand Slam Men's singles semifinals five times, still the best record in history of Japanese tennis.
He received worldwide fame in Wimbledon 1932, when he beat the defending champion Sidney Wood at the quarterfinal. (At the semifinal, he lost Henry Austin.) His peak came in 1933, when he beat Fred Perry in French Open quarterfinal. He was ranked World No.3 by an English critic of The Daily Telegraph. (Ranked No.1: Jack Crawford, No.2: Fred Perry) However, it got more and more difficult for him to endure enormous pressure from Japan. That drove him to throw himself into Strait of Malacca in April 5, 1934, at 26 years of age.
[edit] Grand Slam performance timeline
[edit] Grand Slam singles semifinals
- 1931 French Championships: lost Jean Borotra 10-8, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2
- 1932 Wimbledon: lost Bunny Austin 7-5, 6-2, 6-1
- 1932 Australian Championships: lost Harry Hopman 0-6, 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
- 1933 French Championships: lost Jack Crawford 6-0, 6-2, 6-2
- 1933 Wimbledon: lost Jack Crawford 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- Maurice Brady, The Encyclopedia of Lawn Tennis (Robert Hale Ltd., published in 1958 / See pages 118-119.)
- Bud Collins, Total Tennis, The Ultimate Tennis Encyclopedia (ISBN 0973144343, Sport Classic Books / See page 785.)
