Japanese · Tokyo, Japan · Born 6 November 1967Shuzo Matsuoka is a Japanese former tennis player who reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 1995 and became the first Japanese player to win a singles title on the ATP Tour.
Shuzo Matsuoka's title at the 1992 Seoul Open — the first ATP Tour singles title won by a Japanese player — opened a chapter in Japanese men's tennis that his country would build on for the next three decades, reaching its peak when Kei Nishikori contested a Grand Slam final in 2014. He turned professional in 1986, and built his game through the late 1980s, reaching the doubles final in Wellington in 1989 and winning the Auckland doubles title that same year. Matsuoka's breakthrough came in 1992, when he became the first Japanese player to win a singles title on the ATP Tour, beating Todd Woodbridge at the Seoul Open, and reached his career-high ranking of World No. 46 that July. He also finished runner-up at the prestigious grass-court tournament at Queen's Club that year, and reached the quarterfinals of the 1991 Canada Masters after upsetting Michael Chang. Matsuoka's finest Grand Slam performance came at the 1995 Wimbledon Championships, where he defeated four opponents to reach the quarterfinals, becoming visibly overcome with emotion after his fourth-round win, before losing in four sets to eventual champion Pete Sampras. He competed at three consecutive Olympic Games — Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992, and Atlanta 1996 — and endured a painfully memorable moment at the 1995 US Open, collapsing from severe leg cramps during a match against Petr Korda. Matsuoka retired in 1998 and became one of Japan's most prominent sports broadcasters and motivational speakers.
Reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 1995 and becoming the first Japanese ATP Tour singles champion
How They Played
Tall, aggressive player with a strong serve and two-handed backhand
Lasting Impact
A pioneering figure for Japanese men's tennis who paved the way for later stars, and later became one of the country's best-known sports broadcasters
Career Honours
- Wimbledon quarterfinalist (1995)
- First Japanese player to win an ATP Tour singles title (1992 Seoul Open)
- Career-high ranking of World No. 46
- 3x Olympian (1988, 1992, 1996)
Japanese Athletes