was a Japanese
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
player. He was ranked World No. 3 in 1933, but committed suicide in the
Strait of Malacca
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connec ...
during his trip to the
Davis Cup in 1934.
He received worldwide fame in Wimbledon 1932, when he beat the defending champion
Sidney Wood
Sidney Burr Wood Jr. (November 1, 1911 – January 10, 2009) was an American tennis player who won the 1931 Wimbledon singles title. Wood was ranked in the world's Top 10 five times between 1931 and 1938, and was ranked World No. 6 in 1931 and ...
at the quarterfinal. In the semifinal, he lost to
Bunny Austin. His peak came in 1933, when he beat
Fred Perry
Frederick John Perry (18 May 1909 – 2 February 1995) was a British tennis and table tennis player and former world No. 1 from England who won 10 Majors including eight Grand Slam tournaments and two Pro Slams single titles, as well ...
in the
French Open quarterfinal. He was ranked World No. 3 by
A. Wallis Myers of ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was f ...
'', behind
Jack Crawford and
Fred Perry
Frederick John Perry (18 May 1909 – 2 February 1995) was a British tennis and table tennis player and former world No. 1 from England who won 10 Majors including eight Grand Slam tournaments and two Pro Slams single titles, as well ...
.
However, it got more and more difficult for him to endure the enormous pressure from Japan. It is believed that pressure drove him to throw himself overboard into the
Strait of Malacca
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connec ...
on April 5, 1934, at 26 years of age.
Tennis career
He debuted on the international tennis scene in 1929 when the touring
Racing Club de Paris
Racing Club de France Football (, also known as Racing Paris, RCF Paris, Matra Racing, Racing Club, or Racing) is a French association football club based in Colombes, a suburb of Paris.
Racing was founded in 1882 as a multi-discipline spo ...
visited Japan for a series of exhibition matches. He notably defeated tennis legends
Jacques Brugnon
Jacques Marie Stanislas Jean Brugnon (11 May 1895 – 20 March 1978), nicknamed "Toto", was a French tennis player, one of the famous " Four Musketeers" from France who dominated tennis in the late 1920s and early 1930s. He was born in and died ...
,
Raymond Rodel and
Pierre Henri Landry, only losing to
Henri Cochet
Henri Jean Cochet (; 14 December 1901 – 1 April 1987) was a French tennis player. He was a world No. 1 ranked player, and a member of the famous " Four Musketeers" from France who dominated tennis in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Born in ...
.
In 1930 he was the runner-up for the Japanese championships, which he finally did win the next year.
Also in 1930 he was a runner-up for the Mid-Pacific Invitational tournament losing to American
Cranston Holman and the doubles final as well.
In 1931 he lost the Miramar L. T. C. title in
Juan-les-Pins against his brother
Hyotaro Sato, won the doubles, and was a finalist in mixed doubles.
He clinched the West-England Championship in singles and doubles. He was defeated by
Jean Borotra
Jean Laurent Robert Borotra (, ; 13 August 1898 – 17 July 1994) was a French tennis champion. He was one of the " Four Musketeers" from his country who dominated tennis in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Borotra was imprisoned in Itter Castle ...
for the
British Covered Court Championships title.
He partnered his brother to gain the Beau Site Club de Cannes second meeting trophy
and the St. Raphaël T.C. title.
In singles competition he claimed the Country Club de Monte-Carlo second meeting title (the same tournament in which the Sato brothers reached the doubles final).
He became Dutch doubles champion alongside
Minoru Kawachi.
In July he beat
Vernon Kirby
Vernon Gordon 'Bob' Kirby (22 June 1911 – 27 September 1994) was a South African tennis player.
Biography
Kirby was educated at the Durban High School where he played cricket and football. He started tennis at the age of five and played in ...
for the
Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks. T ...
Championship.
He captured the Midland Counties Championships in singles and mixed doubles the same month and only losing the doubles final.
Between July and November 1931 he won 13 singles titles in Great Britain.
He met
Fred Perry
Frederick John Perry (18 May 1909 – 2 February 1995) was a British tennis and table tennis player and former world No. 1 from England who won 10 Majors including eight Grand Slam tournaments and two Pro Slams single titles, as well ...
twice for the
Pacific Southwest Championships
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
title in 1932 and 1933, losing both times.
In August 1933 he partnered compatriot
Ryosuke Nunoi to win the doubles title at the
German Championships in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
.
From 1931 to 1933 Sato played in ten ties for the Japanese
Davis Cup team and won 22 rubbers and lost only six, compiling a 79% winning record.
Playing style
Sato played with a flat forehand drive which he modeled after
Henri Cochet
Henri Jean Cochet (; 14 December 1901 – 1 April 1987) was a French tennis player. He was a world No. 1 ranked player, and a member of the famous " Four Musketeers" from France who dominated tennis in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Born in ...
when Cochet visited Japan in 1929. He hit the ball on the forehand side early after the bounce and he was an excellent volleyer.
Personal life
Jiro Sato attended
Waseda University
, mottoeng = Independence of scholarship
, established = 21 October 1882
, type = Private
, endowment =
, president = Aiji Tanaka
, city = Shinjuku
, state = Tokyo
, country = Japan
, students = 47,959
, undergrad = 39,382
, postgrad ...
and studied economics.
He abandoned his studies in 1933 to pursue tennis.
He had an elder brother, Hyotaro Sato, who was also a tennis player.
He was engaged to
Sanae Okada in 1934,
one of Japan's best female tennis players.
Death
On April 4, 1934, Jiro Sato was on the ship ''
N.Y.K. Hakone Maru'' crossing the
Strait of Malacca
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connec ...
to Europe for the
1934 International Lawn Tennis Challenge
The 1934 International Lawn Tennis Challenge was the 29th edition of what is now known as the Davis Cup. 10 teams would enter the Europe Zone (with 17 teams taking part in the qualifying rounds), while only 5 would enter the Americas Zone, 3 in ...
(later to be known as Davis Cup) against the
Australia Davis Cup team in the second round.
Ted Tinling
Cuthbert Collingwood "Ted" Tinling (23 June 1910 – 23 May 1990), sometimes known as Teddy Tinling, was a fashion designer, spy and author. He was a firm fixture on the professional tennis tour for over 60 years and is considered the foremost d ...
was also on board that ship. Earlier in the day Sato complained of stomach pains and thus had no appetite and kept to his cabin. He considered leaving the ship at
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
, which he did for a medical examination. The exam revealed no reasons for his health problems and it was concluded that his problems were psychological. Sato was nervous and feared that his illness would be an obstacle for his team to win. As the day passed, the
Japan Davis Cup team
The Japan men's national tennis team represents Japan in Davis Cup tennis competition and is governed by the Japan Tennis Association.
Japan first competed at the Davis Cup in 1921, where they finished as runners-up. They were an inaugural me ...
was given a banquet hosted by the Japanese consul to Singapore. Sato was present and was further pushed by the consul and his teammates to proceed with the trip and sail to Europe. That same day a cable was received from the
Japanese Lawn Tennis Association insisting on Sato's participation in the Davis Cup and that the voyage should be resumed without delay.
At 11:30 p.m. on April 5, 1934, before reaching
Penang, Sato was found missing by his compatriot
Jiro Yamagishi.
The last time he was seen was at 8:30 p.m. when he had dinner in his cabin.
He left two suicide notes, one to his Japanese tennis teammates expressing doubts that he would be able to help the team in the upcoming contest. He begged them to forgive him and do their best to prevail in the match. He promised he would be with his colleagues in spirit.
The other note was addressed to the ship's captain, apologizing for the inconveniences that his actions might cause. A search for him continued for seven more hours and the vessel hovered in the strait.
Wireless messages were sent to nearby ships.
Later further evidence was found which confirmed the suicide theory. Two iron davit-winding handles and a training skip-rope were missing, which Sato probably used to tie weights on himself to make sure he would drown. After discovery of the new evidence, the ship sent out a radio message stating that "Japan's finest tennis player and national hero was believed to have committed suicide by throwing himself overboard". On April 6, a prayer was ministered by his friends who assembled on the deck of the ship.
An altar was built on board with photographs and racquets of Sato around it.
Also a traditional Japanese "cake offering" ceremony was held.
It was speculated that the pressure on him came from the growing prestige of the
Japanese Empire and from the Japanese Lawn Tennis Association who refused to allow the exhausted Sato to have a break from tennis and skip the 1934 season. He became depressed and concerned about his abilities.
Several world class players reacted to the event.
Fred Perry
Frederick John Perry (18 May 1909 – 2 February 1995) was a British tennis and table tennis player and former world No. 1 from England who won 10 Majors including eight Grand Slam tournaments and two Pro Slams single titles, as well ...
said that Sato was "one of the cheeriest men he had ever known".
Bunny Austin added that "He had a great sense of humor...He always gave the impression that he would be the last man on earth to come to such an end".
Ryuki Miki took over as captain of the Davis Cup team and went on to win the
1934 Wimbledon Championships mixed doubles title the same year. Miki stated Sato was a joyful person who loved jokes and making people laugh. His fiancée recalled that Sato hoped he could stay at
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
. She further added: "I believe Jiro committed suicide solely from a sense of responsibility after he had acceded to the tennis association's urgings to proceed to Europe, even when he wanted to return from Singapore. To the end of my life I shall regret that it was the order of the Japanese Lawn Tennis Association that resulted in his death. Jiro was a man of honor and he played every time for the honor of Japan."
His brother Hyotaro Sato addressed a call for the Japanese team to not cancel their match and to fight their hardest.
Grand Slam finals
Doubles (1 runner-up )
Mixed doubles (1 runner-up)
Grand Slam performance
Sources
* Maurice Brady, ''The Encyclopedia of Lawn Tennis'' (Robert Hale Ltd., published in 1958 / See pages 118-119.)
*
Bud Collins
Arthur Worth "Bud" Collins Jr. (June 17, 1929 – March 4, 2016) was an American journalist and television sportscaster, best known for his tennis commentary. Collins was married to photographer Anita Ruthling Klaussen.
Education
Collins was b ...
, ''Total Tennis, The Ultimate Tennis Encyclopedia'' (, Sport Classic Books / See page 785.)
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sato, Jiro
1908 births
1934 suicides
Japanese male tennis players
People who died at sea
Suicides by drowning
Sportspeople from Gunma Prefecture
20th-century Japanese people