The Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships is a tennis tournament held in Ariake Tennis Forest Park with its center court Ariake Coliseum, located in Kōtō, Tokyo, Japan. Held since 1972, the championship includes men's singles and doubles competitions. Until 2008 it was a joint tournament for both men and women, but since 2008 Ariake Coliseum has hosted another women's tournament, Toray Pan Pacific Open. On the women's side the tournament was held since 1979 and had famous champions such as Kimiko Date (4 victories between 1992 to 1996), Ai Sugiyama, Monica Seles and Maria Sharapova (twice).
Prior to the advent of the ATP Tour, the Japan Open was known as the Tokyo Outdoor Grand Prix and was part of the Grand Prix tennis tour between 1972 and 1989.
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)
“Revolutionary politics, revolutionary art, and oh, the revolutionary mind, is the dullest thing on earth. When we open a “revolutionary” review, or read a “revolutionary” speech, we yawn our heads off. It is true, there is nothing else. Everything is correctly, monotonously, dishearteningly “revolutionary.” What a stupid word! What a stale fuss!”
—Wyndham Lewis (1882–1957)
“Writing free verse is like playing tennis with the net down.”
—Robert Frost (1874–1963)