ASIA
World Team Championships 2026 · Team Japan interview
越智 真
Men's 30Ezaki Glico
Tenacity, and the spin
of a left-hander.
A national junior double champion who has won six ITF singles titles, Makoto Ochi still competes on the Futures and Challenger circuits. We asked about his first time playing for Japan — and his first team event.
I tagged along with my brother — and started playing myself.
Hello everyone, I'm Makoto Ochi. I started tennis at about eight. My older brother played, and while I was tagging along to watch, I started playing too.
My career-high world ranking is in the 300s.
I'm still with Ezaki Glico, and I mainly play ITF Futures and ATP Challenger events.
My first time for Japan, and my first team event. I can't wait.
This World Championships is a team event. I've always played individual tournaments, and both my high school and university were correspondence courses, so I've never played a team competition. It's my first time representing Japan and my first team event, so I'm really looking forward to it.
My game is built on tenacity and the heavy, spinning shots of a left-hander that break opponents down. Please come and see that.
I can still beat my career-high ranking.
I believe I can still improve on my career-high ranking, so I want to work hard to do that.
Having turned 30, I've also started thinking about life after playing — how I can give back to tennis. I want to find that while I keep competing.
Japan has plenty of players aiming higher.
Kei Nishikori, who led Japanese tennis for so long, has retired — sad news for the sport.
But there are still many active players in Japan working hard to go beyond him. Please keep supporting them.
Hi! Ask me anything about the rules, registering on Tour Zone or entering a tournament.
AI answers are guesses based on the information available and may not always be accurate. If you'd like a reply from us, please contact us directly.