[bull]

Kimiko Date married an automobile racer


They got married on 1st. December.
As i know, the groom is from German.
Kimiko told press that she admired Michael(the groom)'s wisdom.

congratulation, kimiko, you are the most beautiful bride i've ever seen! :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

Here are some pics!

 

[bull]

 

[bull]

]

 

[Senorita Conchita]

Beautiful pictures, thanks for sharing Bull. Goodluck in your semi tonite too!

 

[Rollo]

I hardly recognized her-she looks so skinny! Good for Kimiko.
The game hasn't been the same since she left, and no Asian male or female has yet to go as far in tennis as she did.

 

[gorecki]

Wow...she looks really beautiful! I'm sure the Japanese press must have gone crazy during her wedding day...

yes...she's probably one of the most - if not the most successful Asian player of the 90s. Reaching the semis of AO and Wimbledon and RG. Not sure about USO but i'm sure she's reached the QFs or better...

 

[Vanity]

Thanks a lot for those pictures! I was wondering what Kimiko has been up to lately... she looks VERY different! She was always one of my favorite players to watch and she is, as many have said, one of the most successful Asian players ever. I think she retired too young.. she was 26 I believe. Oh well... Anyway, congrats to Kimiko and Michael!

 

[V.Melb]

OMG~! She is so beautiful!
Congrats to her.... what agreat couple! .... rich and beautiful - what more could you want in life?!

 

[Nina_rus]

some more pics

 

[Nina_rus]

and one more

 

[saki]

I'm so pleased for her! The pictures are gorgeous... thank you!

 

[Julian]

I'm so happy for Kimiko, I just wish that she could come back though! LOL! The weird thing was, even with all her achievements she was playing tennis on her "unnatural" side. She's left-handed but the Japanese Tennis Federation made her play right handed! How weird is that, if she had played left-handed would she have been more successfull....*twilight zone music playing*...LOL CONGRATS TO KIMIKO AND HER HUSBAND!!

 

[gorecki]

the left/right playing hand thing...probably a traditional thing...

i have to say she's looking even prettier these days!!! thanks for the photos!!!

 

[thefreedesigner]

They're beautiful pictures. Kimiko looks great, and is hopefully enjoying her life out of tennis. Her new husband looks great too... they make a really lovely couple.

Indeed, thanks for sharing.

 

[Rollo]

Japanese society is changing, but the bias against lefties has a long tradition around the world. Numerous players were natural lefties and "forced" to change, including grand slam champ Mo Connolly.

Still, the bias is strong in Japan. When I taught there in 1988, my students gasped the first time I wrote on the board. Rollo is a lefty, ya see. In the past left-handed students who hadn't been "switched" by their parents(often by slapping the offending hand or tying it so it can't be used) by grade school were "encouraged" to write right-handed by teachers. The intensive nature of the Japanese writing system demands imitation, and students often learn by having the teacher's hand placed directly over their own. This is all easier if both teacher and student are using the same hand.

This carries over into tennis. Form(and conformity) are everything.
I was lucky to have a tennis teacher at the club I joined who was left -handed. The ONLY time you could tell he was a lefty was on the court.

Things were changing then, and my guess is lefties have it easier now. At least in Kimiko's case we got a unique style of tennis, with two forehands!

 

[Vanity]

Ah yes, I remember Kimiko would occasionally switch from a right handed forehand to a left handed forehand when the ball was hit too wide for her backhand Me, I've always played sports left-handed but I write right-handed (weird isn't it?).
One memory I have of Kimiko is 1996 wimbledon... she nearly had Graf on the ropes in the semifinals before a rain delay. Then she retired a few months later.
Oh well, good to see she is enjoying her life out of tennis! :bounce:

 

[Rollo]

Kimiko was a slow starter(like Chris Evert)-many felt the one day rain delay killed Date's momemntum in that Wimbledon semi. Earlier in 1996, Date beat Steffi 12-10 in the third at home in Japan to upset Germany in Fed Cup. THAT must have been some match!

Congrat to Kimiko:wavey:

 

[bull]

rollo, that is really a disppointed match for fans of kimiko. in the second set, she totally changed to another person. she was so fast that almost can reach every ball that graf hit! i think the decision the director made due to darkness (i don't think it is dark) changed the result later...

as a left-handed or right-handed thing, due to japanese tradition, it's nothing more to talk about. and also kimiko didn't take it seriously when she was a child. Vanity, i never pay attention to her switching hand playing. that must be interesting

i am happy to see kimiko enjoy her life now. got married and traveled around the world. most meaningful thing for her is that teach kid play tennis maybe not teach just let them get interested in tennis. she made a great effort on the tennis. everyone will remember her!

really wish her have a wonderful life

 

[Gallofa]

congrats!

Such wonderful news and she looks so happy

But I can't help but feel a little sad, she's not at all how I remembered her! I think we miss her more than she misses tennis! LOL!

Good luck to both of them

 

[Kart]

The last few years haven't robbed Kimiko of her beauty I see .

That Michael is a lucky man as well as being a wise one.