Started playing tennis aged four…Turned professional in April 2003…Father, Fumio, is a banker, mother, Mariko is a housewife; has two older brothers, Jun and Ryo…Has represented Japan in Davis Cup since 2005...Considers his precise backhand a weapon and prefers hard courts…Hobbies include listening to music…Particularly fond of a Hip Hop artist named “Zeebra”…He is shy, but is looked up to as an older brother by his Davis Cup teammates...Started working with former ATP pro Davide Sanguinetti at the start of 2010…Claudio Pistolesi, who coached Takao Suzuki, helped form the partnership.

 (Jan. 2013)