Miharu Imanishi

Hello everyone, I'm Miharu Imanishi. I started at six. Nobody in my family played. We'd gone to a swimming pool, but it rained and we couldn't swim, so we tried an auto-tennis range nearby. I hit my first ball, loved it, and got hooked. If it hadn't rained, I might not be playing tennis today.

My main results: four All Japan Championships titles — one in singles, two in doubles and one in mixed. I've also played qualifying at all four Grand Slams: Australia, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open.

I've retired from the pro tour and am now in my third year coaching a corporate team. At weekends I do events, and as a Japan Tennis Association development officer I work on Play & Stay, Tenipin and other programmes.

It's a home event, so fans who've supported me over the years and friends are coming to cheer. I've been national champion but never world champion, so that's what I'm aiming for.

What I'd most like people to see is that I don't give up on a ball until it bounces twice. That was true when I played professionally, and I want to keep it now I've retired. I hope I can play tennis that stays with people and moves them.

Since retiring I've helped run about ten tournaments a year. I've tried lots of things, so nothing is fixed, but one day I'd like to create and hold a tournament in my own name.

Working behind the scenes, I know how hard it is. Holding one edition is doable, but keeping a tournament going is not easy. Still, it's something I want to do someday.

Tennis is a lifelong sport, and we want to share how much fun it is with as many people as possible.

With health, with tennis — communicating through the ball. I hope more and more people come to love tennis for a long time.