Top 9 Japanese tennis players of all time

#3 Kimiko Date

Kimiko Date

Known for her longevity in sport, Kimiko Date is one of Japan's finest female tennis players of all time. She retired from the sport only at the age of 46, in 2017.

She has reached at least the quarterfinal stage of every Grand Slam tournament at the singles level. She even made the semis of the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon in 1994, 1995 and 1996 respectively.

Date attained a career-high ranking of World No. 4 in 1995, and helped Japan reach the semi-finals of the Fed Cup in 1996. In total, she won 8 singles and 6 doubles titles.

After retiring at the peak of her game in 1996, Date returned to the sport 12 years later in 2008. At the Seoul Open of 2009, she became the second oldest player to have a won a WTA tournament.

At the 2014 US Open, at the age of 43, she reached her first doubles Grand Slam semi-final, proving that age is just a number.