Matsuoka Picks Tennis Over Films
What has become old hat for the likes of Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras, surviving into the quarterfinal round at a Grand Slam tournament, represents the chance of a lifetime for a tall Japanese player who first fell on his back and then leapt up and did a victory lap around the Wimbledon hintercourt that provided his rite of passage Monday.
Shuzo Matsuoka’s father, Isao, could get his son into pictures, but that has never been the son’s goal; instead, the best and only male Japanese prospect has pursued the same career his father pursued before becoming a film company executive in Tokyo.
He has set his hopes on becoming a tennis star, and finally, on the same grass that used to frighten him off, the 27-year-old Matsuoka has not only reached the first Grand Slam quarterfinal in what has been a decidedly rocky career, he is also the first Japanese man to get this far at Wimbledon since Jiro Sato reached the 1933 semifinals.
Politeness has always been a forte for Matsuoka, who bows reverently after every match, but who occasionally tended to be too reverential toward opponents during matches.
Four years ago, after coming off knee and ankle injuries that almost ended his career, Matsuoka turned to the mental toughness guru, Jim Loehr, for guidance in the art of being mean when it matters. Then he began to heed the advice of his coach, Alvaro Betancur, who insisted he approach the net when it matters.
“I used to play only ground strokes,” said Matsuoka.
“I was very afraid to go to the net because I thought I’d lose. But I think grass-court tennis is something that’s mental; I want to play positive, aggressive tennis, but I try just to concentrate on each point at a time.”
The result of the overhaul is a date with the two-time defending champion, Pete Sampras, today. Ranked 108th in the world, the Karaoke enthusiast wasn’t worried about Sampras, who leads their rivalry, 3-1. “I’m very excited to play the next match,” he said.
And Sampras wasn’t unduly worried about Matsuoka. “He has a big first serve, big second serve,” said Sampras, whose weapons in both those categories are even bigger.
Besides Sampras and his challenger, the top-seeded Agassi also faces an unseeded opponent in 27th-ranked Jacco Eltingh. The Dutchman eliminated two seeded players, 1991 champion Michael Stich and seventhseeded Wayne Ferreira, to reach his first Wimbledon quarterfinal and second Grand Slam quarterfinal this year.
In the other quarterfinals, fourth-seeded Goran Ivanisevic, twice a losing finalist at Wimbledon, will play sixth-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov, the Russian who once felt the same way about grass as Matsuoka.
And Boris Becker, the third-seeded player and a three-time Wimbledon champion, leads his rivalry with the Frenchman Cedric Pioline by a 3-0 margin.
Becker, who said “time is running out” on his quest for a sixth career Grand Slam singles title, is 7-0 in quarterfinal matches this year.
MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: AT A GLANCE Results - Women’s Singles: No. 1 Steffi Graf, No. 2 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, No. 3 Conchita Martinez and No. 4 Jana Novotna advanced. Stat of the day Steffi Graf won 14 points in a row in her match against Mary Joe Fernandez - the final two points of the first set and the first 12 points of the second. Quote of the day - “I felt I could do anything that I wanted to.” - Steffi Graf on her 6-0 second set. Today on Centre Court: Andre Agassi vs. Jacco Eltingh; Yevgeny Kafelnikov vs. Goran Ivanisevic; Mark Petchey and Clare Wood vs. Grant Connell and Lindsay Davenport.