Oh Vert, where should I start...
Kimiko Date is a tennis heroine. She was just fantastic.
A natural talent if there ever was a natural talent on
the WTA. She was a leftie that played as a right hander.
Got it? She really didn't have a weak backhand because
that was actually her "real" forehand.
Kimiko got as high as number 4 in the WTA rankings.
She didn't play much tournaments a year either.
Just the grand slams, and the Tier 1 or Tier 2
events in Australia, USA hardcourts, Japan events,
1 clay , a couple in Germany, and the year end championships.
She didn't like to travel! LOL.
Anyway, what made Kimiko Date so great was her
fantastic approach to fearless tennis. She was just
incredible in coming back from a losing position. You
just never got the feeling that she thought it was over.
Really. I'm not kidding.
The notable thing about Kimiko was her utter charm,
and grace. She was just pure class. It's difficult to
imagine someone like that nowadays because everyone
on tour is kind of some other kind of trip; but Kimiko
was very, very charismatic.
Now don't even bother to relate Kimiko Date to
Ai Sugiyama, because their both Japanese. It's like
night and day. Really. I think if we talk about the
great players who never won a grand slam that
should've. It would be Kimko Date, and Mary Jo
Fernandez. Steffi herself thought Kimiko was going
to win a slam soon, and couldn't believe that she
retired the very year they met in a SF at WIMBLEDON
1996.
I guess if you combine the sort of interesting and
good parts of Hingis, Henin, Daniela, Van Roost
and Dokic - you come up with what made Kimiko
Date loved around the globe. The height of the
WTA's fame internationally can be linked up to
Kimiko Date. Kimiko took the WTA out of the
USA, Western Europe, South America, and
CommonWealth countries historical stronghold.
Kimiko Date/Miho Saeki Doubles Cheering Thread
Good Luck In 2005: 
The Pompous Member Of The Justine Philistines' Society™ 
Martian 4 Life 
