It took two years but the wait was worth it for the Wimbledon 2019 junior champion, Shintaro Mochizuki, who enjoyed a winning return to the grass courts of south-west London to advance to the second round of gentlemen’s Qualifying.
The 18-year-old made history at the All England Club two years ago when he became the first Japanese to win a Grand Slam boys’ singles title. His previous experience on grass had amounted to just one tournament but the crafty teen quickly found his feet on the lawns of Wimbledon after a tough initiation on the surface.
“I played one grass tournament two weeks before Wimbledon [in 2019] and the first day of practice, I was horrible. I was like, ‘I don’t know how to play on grass, I don’t know what to do’; but I discussed it with my coach and I practised for a few days, I got used to it and I loved it,” the Kawasaki-born teen recalled following his 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory over French world No.160 Hugo Gaston.
Ranked No.500 and making his maiden professional level appearance at a slam, Mochizuki admits he was a bit surprised to receive a wild card into Qualifying. “Last year was tough with the COVID. I didn’t think I was going to get a wild card for quallies this year because it’s 2021 and I won in 2019. So I was really happy when I heard I got the wild card and I was super excited,” he said.
Although he does not have the height, at 5ft 8in (175cm), to equip him with a massive serve that is typically the foundation of an attacking game, Mochizuki loves to charge the net and has soft hands, prompting Kei Nishikori’s coach, Max Mirnyi, to compare him to French ‘Magician’ Fabrice Santoro.
Based in Bradenton, Florida, at the IMG Academy since he was 12, Mochizuki almost chose baseball over tennis before moving from Japan to the United States. His parents had put a racket in his hands when he could barely walk and he eventually stuck to tennis, keeping baseball as a hobby he still enjoys with friends in Florida.
London has been special for him already, not just because of his junior success, but because Wimbledon is where he got to share a court with his idol, Roger Federer, at the 2019 ATP Finals. The former junior No.1 was at the season-ending championships as a hitting partner for the world’s top eight stars and he got the chance to hit with Federer.
“He’s my hero. It was a dream. In tennis he hits so easy, just relaxed when he’s playing,” Mochizuki told the ATP website earlier this year in Miami, where he qualified to make his Masters 1000 main draw debut. “Many people are just playing with the power and emotions, but he's just hitting balls so easy. He taught me that if you have any chances to play bigger events, just go for it.”
Mochizuki has been making the most of his opportunities so far, as he translated his qualifying wild card in Miami into a main draw appearance last March and he hopes to do the same in Roehampton. His stay at the IMG Academy has allowed him some one-on-one time with another idol, former world No.4 Nishikori, Japan’s first male Grand Slam singles finalist.
As Mochizuki tries to navigate the tricky transition from juniors to the pros – he says the physicality of the men’s game is the toughest part – he has received plenty of advice from Nishikori during their practices. “He gives me a lot of tennis advice. Like backhands: if you have a chance, you should go for more returns. There are a lot of big servers on the tour, so he gave me some advice on that.”
Roger Federer is my hero. He hits so easy, just relaxed when he's playing
Mochizuki has also found great inspiration in Sebastian Korda’s recent rise. The 20-year-old has had a brilliant nine-month period in which he hit a career-high ranking of No.50. “I’ve been practising with him a lot last year but he moved up really high and I don’t get to practise with him any more,” Mochizuki laughed.
“I’ve never played him in a real match and I heard he beat Kei Nishikori last week [in Halle], so I want to really play him on the tour.”
Up next for Mochizuki is the No.8 seed, Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor. A win is not guaranteed but one thing is for sure: the young Japanese will be following Federer’s advice to “just go for it”.