TOKYO, (MILLAT ONLINE/APP/AFP) – As a grimacing Kimiko
Date rips another forehand past a male hitting partner less than half her age, all that’s missing is a cheesy Rocky-style backing track.
At the ripe of old age of 46, the former world number four and
part-time baker insists she’s not burnt-out yet as the Japanese star prepares for her latest comeback to professional tennis after a year of injury hell.
Date, who took a 12-year hiatus from the sport after quitting at the
peak of her powers in 1996, has no plans to shuffle off into retirement just yet.
“Everyone just assumed I’d quietly retire when I got injured,” the
Kyoto native told AFP in an interview after a punishing three-hour workout.
“But I didn’t want to just quit because I was out hurt. I used it as
motivation,” added Date, who has undergone two knee surgeries and opened a
Tokyo bakery since last playing in the 2016 Australian Open qualifiers.
“Maybe you could call that gutsy. But I love a challenge — and I
viewed this as another challenge.”
A wispy, wiry 5ft 4in (1.63 metres), Date’s game is a throwback to a
time when tennis was as much about lobs, dinks and clever use of spin as the
wham-bam of today’s master blasters.
And after an injury that almost dealt a knockout blow to her
illustrious career, Date is once again looking to defy the odds.
“The nineties was my first career, then I came back and that was my
second,” said the eight-times WTA Tour singles champion, who returns to
competitive tennis next month at a challenger event in Gifu, central Japan.