1. Jiro Sato was ranked world No 3 in 1933, but committed suicide in the Strait of Malacca during his trip to the Davis Cup in 1934.
25 Facts About Jiro Sato
1. 2.
Jiro Sato received worldwide fame in Wimbledon 1932, when he beat the defending champion Sidney Wood at the quarterfinal.
3.
Jiro Sato's peak came in 1933, when he beat Fred Perry in the French Open quarterfinal.
4.
Jiro Sato was ranked world No 3 by A Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph, behind Jack Crawford and Fred Perry.
5.
Jiro Sato debuted on the international tennis scene in 1929 when the touring Racing Club de Paris visited Japan for a series of exhibition matches.
6.
Jiro Sato notably defeated tennis legends Jacques Brugnon, Raymond Rodel and Pierre Henri Landry, only losing to Henri Cochet.
7.
Jiro Sato clinched the South of England Championships in singles and doubles.
8.
Jiro Sato was defeated by Jean Borotra for the British Covered Court Championships title.
9.
Jiro Sato captured the Midland Counties Championships in singles and mixed doubles the same month and only losing the doubles final.
10.
Jiro Sato met Fred Perry twice for the Pacific Southwest Championships title in 1932 and 1933, losing both times.
11.
Jiro Sato played with a flat forehand drive which he modeled after Henri Cochet when Cochet visited Japan in 1929.
12.
Jiro Sato hit the ball on the forehand side early after the bounce and he was an excellent volleyer.
13.
Jiro Sato abandoned his studies in 1933 to pursue tennis.
14.
Jiro Sato had an elder brother, Hyotaro Sato, who was a tennis player.
15.
Jiro Sato was engaged to Sanae Okada in 1934, one of Japan's best female tennis players.
16.
Jiro Sato considered leaving the ship at Singapore, which he did for a medical examination.
17.
Jiro Sato was nervous and feared that his illness would be an obstacle for his team to win.
18.
Jiro Sato was present and was further pushed by the consul and his teammates to proceed with the trip and sail to Europe.
19.
Jiro Sato 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.
20.
Jiro Sato begged them to forgive him and do their best to prevail in the match.
21.
Jiro Sato promised he would be with his colleagues in spirit.
22.
Two iron davit-winding handles and a training skip-rope were missing, which Jiro Sato probably used to tie weights on himself to make sure he would drown.
23.
Miki stated Jiro Sato was a joyful person who loved jokes and making people laugh.
24.
Jiro Sato's fiancee recalled that Sato hoped he could stay at Singapore.
25.
Jiro Sato was a man of honor and he played every time for the honor of Japan.