Jiro Sato (jap. 佐藤 次郎 Satō Jirō, January 5, 1908 in present-day Shibukawa, Gunma Prefecture - April 5, 1934 in Strait of Malacca) was a former tennis player from Japan. He graduated from Waseda University. He was ranked World No.3 in 1933, but committed suicide in Strait of Malacca during his trip to Davis Cup 1934.
Jiro Sato reached Grand Slam Men's singles semifinals five times, still the best record in history of Japanese tennis.
He received worldwide fame in Wimbledon 1932, when he beat the defending champion Sidney Wood at the quarterfinal. (In the semifinal, he lost to Henry Austin.) His peak came in 1933, when he beat Fred Perry in the French Open quarterfinal. He was ranked World No.3 by an English critic of The Daily Telegraph. (Ranked No.1: Jack Crawford, No.2: Fred Perry) However, it got more and more difficult for him to endure enormous pressure from Japan. That drove him to throw himself into the Strait of Malacca on April 5, 1934, at 26 years of age.
Contents |
| Tournament | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| French Championships | SF | 4r | SF | 13-3 |
| Wimbledon | QF | SF | SF | 14-3 |
| US Championships | - | 2r | 4r | 2–2 |
| Australian Championships | - | SF | - | 3–1 |
| Grand Slam W-L | 9–2 | 11-4 | 12-3 | 32-9 |