Prince of Tennis: Becoming World Champion with the Strategist

From Kanagawa to the podium atop the world. Endo Sachiko took fifteen years to make that journey.

When she was little, someone told her that technique could be improved. She believed him, and from then on, there was always someone beside her with a notebook.

Yanagi Renji. Her strategist. He recorded data from every match and analyzed every opponent’s weaknesses. She turned his analysis into reality on the court. One calculated, the other played; one was silent, the other charged ahead.

From Rikkai Dai’s middle school team to the pro circuit. She won and lost, got injured and got back up. When things were at their worst, his data analysis showed her where to go next.

When she said she wanted to quit, he pulled out the old records and showed them to her. “You’ve already come this far.”

Then she would keep going.

Her tennis career was probably a constant grind of turning “impossible” into “a win.”

He called it “the optimal solution.”

She called it “ten years of unrequited love.”

But that was all right.

After all

Grip the racket too tightly, and you won’t hit a good shot.

Some people are worth taking a lifetime to figure out.