Aiko Nakamura

2.1. Childhood and Education

Born on December 28, 1983, in Tennōji-ku, Osaka, Japan, Nakamura began playing tennis at the age of five. She attended Osaka Municipal Kozu Junior High School and later graduated from Shoin Higashi High School. During her professional career, she was affiliated with the Japanese company Nikke. She stands 64 in ^{(163 cm)} (approximately 123 lb ^{(56 kg)}).

2.2. Playing Style

Nakamura was recognized for her unique playing style, particularly her powerful two-handed strokes. Like her idol Monica Seles, she employed a double-handed grip for both her forehand and backhand shots. Despite her two-handed groundstrokes, she served right-handed. She primarily operated as a baseline player, relying on her consistent and aggressive groundstrokes from the back of the court.

3.1. Debut and Early Career (1999-2005)

Nakamura officially turned professional in 1999, though she began competing full-scale on the tour in 2002 after completing high school. Her Grand Slam debut came at the 2005 Australian Open, where she successfully navigated three qualifying rounds to enter the main draw. She won her first main draw match before falling in the second round to the tenth seed, Alicia Molik of Australia, with a score of 2-6, 4-6. The same year, she made her debut for the Japan Fed Cup team, being selected for the singles rubber in the World Group II first-round tie against the Czech Republic in April, where she lost to the then 16-year-old Nicole Vaidišová.

In the remaining Grand Slam tournaments of 2005, Nakamura experienced varied results. She was eliminated in the first round of the 2005 French Open, but reached the second round at both Wimbledon and the 2005 US Open. At Wimbledon, she challenged formidable opponent Anastasia Myskina, and at the US Open, she faced Nadia Petrova in the second round. Later in November, at the All Japan Tennis Championships, despite being the top seed, she was defeated in the quarterfinals by the eighth seed, Tomoko Yonemura, with a score of 6-7, 4-6.

3.2. Peak Performance and Major Achievements (2006-2008)

The period from 2006 to 2008 represented the peak of Aiko Nakamura's professional career, highlighted by her highest rankings and significant tournament performances.

At the 2006 Australian Open, Nakamura advanced to the third round for the first time in a Grand Slam, where she was ultimately defeated by the seventh seed, Patty Schnyder of Switzerland, 2-6, 3-6. While she suffered first-round exits at the 2006 French Open and 2006 Wimbledon Championships, her contribution to the Japan Fed Cup team was pivotal. In the World Group Play-off against Austria held in Tokyo's Ariake Coliseum on July 15-16, Japan secured a decisive 5-0 victory, earning a return to the World Group (the top eight nations) for the first time in a decade, since 1997. Nakamura clinched the third singles match, defeating Austria's Barbara Schwartz 6-2, 7-5, contributing to Japan's historic return. In the final Grand Slam of the year, the 2006 US Open, she was defeated in the second round by the sixteenth seed, Ana Ivanović of Serbia.

In October 2006, Nakamura achieved her first WTA Tour final at the Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo. She ultimately finished as runner-up, losing to the top seed, Marion Bartoli of France, in three sets: 6-2, 2-6, 2-6. This match was notable as the first WTA Tour final contested between two players employing two-handed forehand and backhand strokes.

The 2007 Australian Open saw Nakamura again reach the third round, overcoming Eleni Daniilidou of Greece in the first round and Sania Mirza of India in the second, before being defeated by the sixth seed, Martina Hingis, in the third round. On August 6, 2007, she achieved her career-high singles ranking of No. 47 in the world. Later that year, at the 2007 US Open, she suffered a 1-6, 1-6 defeat in the first round to the fifth seed, Ana Ivanović.

Nakamura's highest doubles ranking came on March 3, 2008, when she reached No. 64. In 2008, at the Kangaroo Cup International Women's Open Tennis in Gifu, as the top seed, she lost to the 37-year-old Kimiko Date Krumm, who was making a professional comeback after 12 years, in the singles quarterfinals (6-7, 6-4, 3-6). She later avenged this loss against Date in the following week's Fukuoka tournament. Her participation in the 2008 French Open concluded with a first-round defeat to the fourth seed, Svetlana Kuznetsova, with a score of 2-6, 3-6. At the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, she also earned a bronze medal in the team event.

3.3. Injuries and Later Career (2009-2011)

From around 2009, Aiko Nakamura's career was significantly impacted by injuries, requiring two knee surgeries that limited her ability to compete consistently. By 2010, she was no longer listed in the WTA rankings. Following these setbacks, she primarily competed in lower-tier tournaments on the ITF Women's Circuit. Despite the challenges, she still managed to achieve successes. In 2009, she won a singles title at the Kangaroo Cup in Japan, defeating Tomoko Yonemura 6-1, 6-4 in the final. That same year, she also won a doubles title at the Kangaroo Cup, partnering with Sophie Ferguson to beat Misaki Doi and Kurumi Nara 6-2, 6-1. In 2011, she secured another singles title at the ITF Tsukuba in Japan, overcoming Chan Chin-wei 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 in the final. However, she was a runner-up in doubles at the Fukuoka International Women's Cup that year, partnering with Junri Namigata and losing to Shuko Aoyama and Rika Fujiwara 6-7⁽³⁾, 0-6.

3.4. Retirement (2012)

Aiko Nakamura's final professional match occurred at the qualifying first round of the 2012 US Open. Following this match, she officially announced her retirement from professional tennis in November 2012, concluding a career that spanned over 13 years.

4.1. WTA Tour Finals

Nakamura reached one singles final and one doubles final on the WTA Tour, both at the Japan Open.

4.2. ITF Circuit Finals

Nakamura competed in numerous ITF Women's Circuit finals, securing four singles and three doubles titles.

4.3. Grand Slam Singles Performance Timeline

This table illustrates Aiko Nakamura's year-by-year singles results at the four Grand Slam tournaments.

Key:

• W = Winner
• F = Finalist
• SF = Semifinalist
• QF = Quarterfinalist
• #R = Rounds 1-4
• RR = Round robin
• Q# = Qualifying round
• LQ = Lost in qualifying round
• A = Did not participate
• Z# = Zone Group (Fed Cup)
• PO = Play-off (Fed Cup)
• G = Gold medal
• S = Silver medal
• B = Bronze medal
• NMS = Not Masters Series
• P = Played
• NH = Not held