Ko Suzuki

I'm Ko Suzuki. I started playing when I was about three. My mum and dad played, and so did my brother, so they took me along at weekends and that's how it began.

As a junior I won the national primary-school championships, the RSK national junior selection and the under-15 Nakamuta Cup. As a pro I've reached an ITF Futures singles final and won two Futures doubles titles.

I'm with ONE DROP, a corporate team, and I mainly play ITF Futures, plus Challengers when I can get in. These days it's almost all in Asia. My base is in the Kansai region, and I'm in Japan whenever there are corporate-league matches or no tournaments.

This is my first seniors' event, so I really hope everyone enjoys it, and that we all enjoy it together.

Tennis is mostly an individual sport. I've only played team events as a junior and in the Japan League — never at high-school nationals or in a university league. So I hope we enjoy playing as a team and the crowd can feel that. Of course, we'll be serious too. We're going there to win.

Age-wise, I'm already eligible for the over-35s (laughs). From here I'd like to try something other than tennis.

A lot of players retire and become coaches. I don't know if I'm needed anywhere outside tennis, but it would be nice to do something different. Of course, if tennis needs me, I'm in.

You often see on social media that tennis makes you live longer. Whether that's true or not, tennis makes you friends all over the world. You don't need much language when you're playing. My English isn't great, but I get on with all sorts of people and I have friends abroad.

Getting outside and moving is healthier than staying home, and there aren't many sports that grandparents and grandchildren can play together. Families can enjoy it, so please give tennis a try.