June 29 (Mon) Opening: Wimbledon Tennis – WOWOW Interviews Four Japanese Players Including Naomi Osaka!

The third Grand Slam of the 2026 season, Wimbledon Tennis, begins on June 29 (Mon). WOWOW will continue to broadcast the main draw live daily, following the qualifying rounds.

Ahead of the opening, four players—Sho Shimabukuro and Shintaro Mochizuki in men's singles, and Naomi Osaka and Ao Ito in women's singles—sat down for exclusive interviews with WOWOW.

Sho Shimabukuro, who defeated former world No.13 Nick Kyrgios in a comeback victory at the Boss Open (Stuttgart, Germany, ATP250) that began on June 8 (Mon), achieving his first-ever ATP Tour quarterfinal, will face J. Faria (Portugal) in his opening match. Mochizuki, having advanced through qualifying, will play M. Bedene (UK). Osaka, whose best result at Wimbledon has been reaching the third round on three previous occasions, will face E. Jacquemot (France). Ito, making her second consecutive main draw appearance, will take on D. Yastremska (Ukraine). Mochizuki, Osaka, and Ito will play on June 29 (Mon), while Shimabukuro will take the court from June 30 (Tue) onward.

On the men's side, all eyes are on whether world No.1 and defending champion J. Sinner (Italy), who won last year's Wimbledon title, can secure back-to-back championships. Or will A. Zverev (Germany), who achieved his long-awaited first Grand Slam title at the French Open in June, win two consecutive Grand Slams? Also watch the performance of 39-year-old N. Djokovic (Serbia), a seven-time Wimbledon champion.

On the women's side, can world No.3 I. Świątek (Poland), who dominated last year's final, assert her dominance once again? Meanwhile, world No.1 A. Sabalenka, champion of last year's US Open, and world No.2 E. Rybakina (Kazakhstan), winner of this year's Australian Open, are among those aiming to dethrone her.

Sho Shimabukuro

Q. How are you feeling right now?

Three years ago was my first main draw appearance here, but my mindset now is completely different. Back then, everything was new and exciting—I was full of wonder and curiosity. This time, of course I'm excited, but I'm here with the clear intention to win, which is a big difference from before.

Q. What do you think has contributed to your strong performance this season?

I finally feel confident in my own game. I don't think my play last year was bad, but I went through a stretch where I couldn't win. Overcoming those tough periods from last year and the year before has given me real belief in my tennis. Also, my serve has become my biggest weapon, allowing me to compete against top players like Kyrgios and Shelton—that's boosted my confidence.

Q. Have you made any specific adjustments in preparation for the grass season?

I haven't changed much, but I've consciously increased my net play. I wasn't naturally strong at the net before, so I've done more net practice this season. I've been able to use it in matches, and my point conversion rate at the net has been high, which gives me confidence.

Q. How has training with Coach Iwabuchi been?

He's calm and composed in a good way—never pushy. No matter if I'm tense or low on energy, he treats me the same, which is a huge help. Our communication feels very smooth.

Q. What are your thoughts on your first-round opponent, J. Faria?

Faria is a very tough and skilled player. He beat Ren in the final of qualifying, and his forehand is dynamic and his serve is excellent. So return games will be key. Of course, I need to hold my own service games, but especially under pressure against his strong serve, it'll be important to see how much I can pressure him and execute my own game—like coming to the net. It's a best-of-five format, so the match will be long, but I want to start strong with full intensity.

Q. Please share a message of determination with fans.

I want to show a different Sho Shimabukuro this year. I'll give my all starting from the very first point of the first round. Thank you for your continued support.

Shintaro Mochizuki

Q. How do you feel after winning through qualifying?

It feels like I've made it back to the main draw. My first match is coming up soon, so I want to prepare as best as I can. This place holds special memories for me, so I'm really happy to be back.

Q. What are your thoughts on your first-round opponent, M. Bedene?

Honestly, I don't know much about him. I don't have a sense of his playing style yet. He's a local player, so the atmosphere might feel a bit like an away game. But I don't mind that—I want to stay focused on what I need to do. I'll play thinking about what it takes to win. Since the grass season started, I've been focusing entirely on my own game rather than the opponent, and I want to keep going with that same full effort.

Even during Wimbledon qualifying, I played without researching my opponents at all.

Q. A message of determination for fans?

To all my fans in Japan—thank you so much for your constant support. I'm glad WOWOW is broadcasting Wimbledon again this year. The timing is perfect, so I'd love it if you could cheer me on while having dinner or enjoying a beer. I'll give it everything I've got, so please keep supporting me.

Naomi Osaka

Q. How's your foot?

It's definitely not an ideal situation. But I'm going to try. I'll see how it goes.

Q. What do you think has made you perform well on grass, a surface you previously struggled with?

Honestly, I'm not entirely sure. Thomas and I did a lot of hard court training. And we did a lot of a drill called 'junk drill.' What he taught me was to keep moving forward even when the ball bounces irregularly. That's worked really well on grass, and since I hadn't done this kind of training before, I think that's why it's been effective.

Q. You've been training with Robby lately—what kind of training are you doing?

Robby is kind and such a good person. He brings a lot to the team, takes care of everyone, and we all really love him.

He understands how I'm feeling, and we talk a lot about where I need to grow.

I think things are going really well with him, especially because my movement on grass this season has felt really good.

Q. Any surprise outfit this time?

I think you'll really like it. Wearing all white is a unique tradition here, different from other tournaments, but I don't see it as a limitation. In fact, it's fun to think about what kind of story I can tell through an all-white outfit.

Q. What are your thoughts on your first-round opponent, E. Jacquemot?

I don't know much about her, but I did play her once before on clay. I know she's young. Young players are always fearless and aggressive, so she'll probably hit a lot of great shots.

For me, I want to stay calm, enjoy the match, and keep building from here.

Q. A message of determination for fans?

Hello, this is Naomi. I'm here at Wimbledon now. Thank you so much for always supporting me. I hope you enjoy watching the matches.

Ao Ito

Q. How do you feel returning to this venue, where you made your Grand Slam main draw debut?

The qualifying and main draw venues are different, so just being in the main draw gives me a strong sense of privilege, which is why I chose to play this tournament. That said, I'm finding grass a bit harder than I expected—I'm slightly regretting that now (laughs).

I thought my playing style would suit grass well, but slicing is actually really difficult on this surface. I'm good at hitting slices while moving forward, but with so many small irregular bounces, the ball often doesn't even make contact with my racket.

My signature slice hasn't been consistent, and I haven't won much during the grass season, but when it does work, it's effective—so I really hope it clicks this time.

Q. How's your form after returning from injury?

During my break, I was just lounging around, so by March—right after returning—I'd lost a lot of fitness. Now my body is gradually moving better, and I'm finally able to play full matches again. So I feel confident... and not confident (laughs).

Grass-court footwork is tough, but if I can adjust well, I think I have a chance to win.

Q. What are your thoughts on your first-round opponent, D. Yastremska?

Honestly, I don't know her. I looked at her ranking and her face and just thought, 'She looks strong.' Of course, I'll adapt during the match, but I don't study my opponents much beforehand.

Q. Last year you said your motivation was prize money—what about this year?

Prize money is important, yes (laughs). My motivation for the first round is: 'Win once and earn 10 million yen.' I think my chances are better than winning the lottery.

Q. A message of determination for fans?

Last year I lost in the first round, but this is my second Wimbledon, so maybe if a few miracles line up, I can win. I'll go for the prize money and give it my absolute all so I have no regrets. Thank you for your support.

**WOWOW Broadcast & Streaming Information**

[Program Info]

"Wimbledon Tennis"

June 29 (Mon) – July 12 (Sun): Daily live broadcasts!

June 29 (Mon) from 6:45 PM: "Day 1 – Men's and Women's Singles First Round"

[WOWOW Live] [WOWOW On Demand]

June 30 (Tue) from 12:00 AM: "Day 1 – Men's and Women's Singles First Round"

[WOWOW Live] [WOWOW On Demand]

Check the official program website and official SNS for the latest broadcast and streaming updates! ■

[WOWOW On Demand] https://wod.wowow.co.jp/genre/149

[WOWOW Tennis Official Site] https://www.wowow.co.jp/sports/tennis/

[WOWOW Tennis Official X] https://x.com/wowowtennis

[WOWOW Tennis Official Instagram] https://www.instagram.com/wowowtennis/

[WOWOW Official YouTube] https://www.youtube.com/user/WOWOWofficial