Satomi Watanabe wants to inspire juniors in her country

CHENNAI

Just before she enters the all-glass show court at the Express Avenue Mall here at the Squash World Cup, Satomi Watanabe, Japanese top squash player on Tour, bows to her audience; a trait quite common among Japanese sportspersons.

Humble and polite to a fault, the World No.18 and winner of eight Tour titles, is hoping that her performance will inspire the juniors and make the sport popular in her country. “No one from Japan has entered the top 20 in the world before. And also squash is not big in Japan. I hope the juniors get inspired from my performances,” she said.

The new seven-point format in the World Cup, according to Satomi, makes her nervous. The 24-year-old said: “At 6-6, it is sudden death, but it’s really interesting. I have to get used to it in a couple of days.”

On playing at the glass-court at EA Mall, Satomi said, “its one of the big venues I’ve ever played. It’s a really good.”

Japan will play India on June 15 in a Group-B tie, a contest which Satomi insisted will be difficult. “India is one of the tough teams in the tournament. But we are hoping to win,” she said.

Squash is not popular in Japan, and with Asian Games coming up in 2026 in the city of Nagoya, Satomi hopes squash will be included for her to display her talent in front of her home fans. “At the moment, squash is not in the Games. I want to perform well here and elsewhere before the Games and put a strong case for the sport to be included,” she said.

Asian countries are slowly and steadily closing in on Egypt though it will take time, felt Sakomi, a BSc student pursuing Sport & Exercise Science at University of Roehampton, London. “You [India] have Anahat Singh who is doing well at just 15 years of age. I hope Asian countries keep doing well,” she said.