Kimiko Date

Insights

Two distinct Grand Slam eras, separated by a 13-year gap

Date’s Grand Slam career is split into 1989-1996 and 2009-2015, with no results listed from 1997 through 2008. That makes her 51 tournaments and 111 matches unusually concentrated into two separate stretches.

Peak came in the mid-1990s, with three semifinal runs in four years

Her best results include three semifinals and they all came in a tight cluster: Australian Open 1994, French Open 1995, and Wimbledon 1996. In the same span she also reached a quarterfinal at the US Open in 1994 and 1995.

Late-career return produced only first- and second-week exits

From her comeback in 2009 through 2015, every listed result was R128, R64, or R32, except a single R16 at Wimbledon 2013. She never advanced beyond the third round in that entire second phase.

Best Australian Open and French Open results came before age 25

Her strongest Australian Open showing was the 1994 semifinal at age 23, and her best French Open result was the 1995 semifinal at age 24. Those are the only semifinal-level runs she recorded at those two majors.

Wimbledon was the most volatile major in her record

Wimbledon spans her full career arc: R128 in 1989 and 1991, R64 in 1990 and 1992, then a quarterfinal in 1995 and a semifinal in 1996. It is the clearest example of a major where her results rose sharply over time before the late-career return.