The 2008 AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 36th edition of the event known that year as the AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships, and was part of the International Series Gold of the 2008 ATP Tour, and of the Tier III Series of the 2008 WTA Tour. Both the men's and the women's events took place at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo, Japan, from September 29 through October 5, 2008.
The men's field was led by ATP No. 5, Valencia and 's-Hertogenbosch winner, Tokyo defending champion David Ferrer, Dubai, San Jose and Beijing champion Andy Roddick, and Olympic silver medalist, Viña del Mar, Munich titlist Fernando González. Also present were Stuttgart finalist Richard Gasquet, Stuttgart, Kitzbühel, Los Angeles, Washington winner Juan Martín del Potro, Tommy Robredo, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Mikhail Youzhny.
The women's line up included Stockholm and New Haven champion Caroline Wozniacki, Fes and Portorož runner-up, Strasbourg winner Anabel Medina Garrigues, and Wimbledon semifinalist Jie Zheng. Other seeded players were Estoril, Barcelona and Seoul titlist Maria Kirilenko, French Open quarterfinalist Kaia Kanepi, Shahar Pe'er, Tamarine Tanasugarn and Aleksandra Wozniak.
Famous quotes containing the words japan, open and/or tennis:
“I do not know that the United States can save civilization but at least by our example we can make people think and give them the opportunity of saving themselves. The trouble is that the people of Germany, Italy and Japan are not given the privilege of thinking.”
—Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945)
“Parents’ accepting attitudes can help children learn to be open and tolerant. Parents can explain unfamiliar behavior or physical handicaps and show children that the appropriate response to differences should be interest rather than revulsion.”
—Dian G. Smith (20th century)
“Like Olympic medals and tennis trophies, all they signified was that the owner had done something of no benefit to anyone more capably than everyone else.”
—Joseph Heller (b. 1923)