In 1978, the first ATP Tour tournament was held in Japan, sponsored by the Japan Professional Tennis Association.
The first tournament was held at the old Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, and a number of top players at the time, including Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Arthur Ashe, and Irin Stase, gathered in Tokyo.
Company D was in charge of the operation, coordinating with TV stations and sponsors. Meetings were held almost daily at the tournament secretariat to discuss how to make the event a success for the sponsors. During these meetings, it was decided to run a publicity piece in Popeye, a popular magazine with a large circulation at the time, and the newspaper and magazine department made a request to Popeye. The editorial department wanted to find a new topic, so they asked me, who was supporting them at the secretariat, to introduce them to someone knowledgeable about tennis.
I received a call from the editorial department in August, and when I showed up that day, they suddenly said, "Do you have any interesting themes? Give me about 10 ideas, even if they're just bullet points, by tomorrow morning." Without giving me time to think, they casually pressed me, "Thanks! It's an October tournament and we'll be running it in the magazine for a month, so if you don't get it by today, we won't make it." I ended up staying up all night. The enthusiasm of the editorial staff overwhelmed me. At the time, I wrote a two-page black-and-white story about a player who had excelled in American college tennis. Connors and Ashe went to UCLA, and Stan Smith to USC, and at the time, top American players went pro via college tennis.
At that time, the deputy editor-in-chief asked me if I'd like to help out with a special edition called Tennis Boy, and I replied without thinking too much. I thought that he would know my situation and wouldn't ask me to do something too difficult, but I was wrong! I was called into the editorial department almost every day, treated to delicious yakiniku and sushi, and even had a midnight snack, staying almost overnight at the editorial department, renting a hotel called Tsuruyoshi to help out. I asked, "I have to go to work the next morning." I was hoping he would say I could go home, but he brushed me off, saying, "Then hurry up and finish up, we have to finish by morning." I was sleep-deprived, but it was fun.
In addition, I was also writing and proofreading SEIKO TENNIS program manuscripts and supporting tournament management. My overtime easily exceeded 100 hours. But it was fun.
The special edition of Tennis Boy will be released on the first day of SEIKO TENNIS.
I remember running to the convenience store at Sendagaya Station to buy one. The tournament ended with Borg's victory, but it seemed as though a tennis boom was on the horizon and a new form of tennis was on the horizon.
Popeye also introduced a change in tennis wear from white to colorful, and a casual style of T-shirts and joggers for practice, and tennis brands from around the world were also seen through tournaments and Popeye.
I was able to meet the players I admire, share time with them, enjoy Japan, and build a good relationship with them.
This was the seed that led to my work in tennis.
Text by Keizo Miyamoto
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