Yuichiro Inui

Hello everyone, I'm Yuichiro Inui. I started tennis at around 11. My parents played, so I'd been to courts before that, but only to mess around. When we moved, we thought “why not try a tennis school?” — that was at 11.

Now I mainly play ITF tournaments and ATP Challengers, and recently I've been focusing on doubles. This year I won a doubles title at the ITF event in Lu'an.

I play for Team REC and compete in ITF events in Japan and abroad. Until last year I also represented Kumamoto at the National Sports Festival.

The regular tour carries on, so it's hard to prepare specially, but given the squad I'll probably be used mainly in doubles. That's what I play most on tour, so I hope to play well as an extension of that.

In doubles you get things singles doesn't have — two players switching positions, fast and quick exchanges, lots of volleys. I hope you enjoy that speed.

I'm getting older, and I think my time competing at the top level is limited. I want to keep enjoying ITF and Challenger events while becoming someone who can pass our experience on to younger players.

I'd like to become a coach or a tour coach, so even while travelling on tour I want to live in a way that leads there.

The Kinoshita Japan Open is a big event now, but at the ITF and Challenger events in Japan — the so-called lower tours — you'll often find the very best Japanese players.

I'd love to see more matches beyond the Japan Open with big, lively crowds. If you have time, come and watch live — at the World Championships, of course, and beyond.