Mana Ayukawa

Hello everyone, I'm Mana Ayukawa. I started tennis at three. My grandparents run a tennis club, and it was my playground — tennis was always close by.

I turned pro at 18 and reached the semi-finals and the final of the All Japan Championships in 2014 and 2015. At first I played mainly singles and reached No. 384 in the world.

Now I focus on doubles. My results have been my best since late last year, and I'm competing mainly on the WTA Tour, with a career-high of No. 184. My biggest result is reaching the semi-finals of a WTA 250 event last year.

I've decided to retire at the end of this year. Since last year I've also been general manager of the academy I belong to, so after retiring that will be my main focus, along with running the club more broadly.

Since the pandemic I've also run the Smile Tennis Project to grow the game — bringing Tenipin lessons into local primary schools, and holding green-ball tournaments and camps with the help of pros and coaches who support the project, to share how tennis helps you make friends. Next year I'd like to grow it into an organisation.

The World Championships will probably be my last official match in Japan — the culmination of 14 years as a pro. This year I've kept playing to perform on bigger stages, so I want to give my very best performance here.

Doubles will be a big part of the team event. I want to play in a way that gets the team, the supporters and everyone fired up together.

My teammates are people I've known since we were small. I haven't had much experience representing Japan, so I'm really looking forward to it — please watch our teamwork too.

Right after retiring I'll be involved as a tennis club manager. Our club is large, with about 15 courts, so rather than just keep it going I want it to become a bridge for Japanese tennis — and to take on international activities too.

In junior development especially, I already organise international trips, and I want to use my experience and connections. I'd also like to create a space where many sports come together and support each other — and if that shows how wonderful tennis is, all the better. That's my vision.

This is probably my first and last World Championships in this age category. With four events, and retired and current players all together, there aren't many events like it.

We players want to win and lift the event with results. Your support really gives us strength, so please come to the venue — I'd love it to be a place where fans and players enjoy it together.