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Other News TIME Asia TIME.com CNN Asia FORTUNE.com ... AOL.com GAME, SET and MATCH Marriage plans may explain Date Kimiko's shock decision to retire from world tennis By Peter Cordingley I T WAS 1988, AND a 17-year-old Japanese schoolgirl was at Wimbledon to play in the junior tournament. The record book shows she sank early on with barely a bubble, but for that timid teenager, Date Kimiko, the journey across the globe wasn't wasted. "I saw the Center Court for the first time," she recalls with awe still in her voice. "I never expected to stand there some day." She has and nearly gloriously but there will be no more Wimbledons, or any other international tournaments, for Date. Asia's top woman player has announced her retirement from tennis, bringing to an unexpected close a career that at times seemed to promise the very best, but, in the end, never quite delivered on the big occasions. But there was no sign of regret as Date explained her decision to the Tokyo press Sept. 24, just four days before her 26th birthday. "I always thought that 25 would be the age to turn a chapter in my life," she said. "Besides, I have had a lot of injuries to my knees and ankles too many to continue playing at the top level." Standing up to the big hitters has also probably taken its toll. At 1.63 m and weighing only 53 kg, Date is almost diminutive compared with some of the women pros on the tour. Monica Seles, for instance, is 1.79 m and 65 kg, and Steffi Graf 1.75 m and 59 kg. "I am not particularly powerful and I have been fighting at the limits of my mental and physical powers," the Japanese said. | |
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