Rika Fujiwara

Profile

Rika Fujiwara, born 19 September 1981, is a Japanese former professional tennis player and now a pickleball player. In tennis she reached a career-high WTA ranking of 84 in singles (August 2005) and 13 in doubles (November 2002). She is right-handed. She also played for Japan in the Fed Cup, finishing with a record of 23 wins and 5 losses.

Tennis career

At the 2002 Australian Open she paired with Shinobu Asagoe to reach the doubles quarterfinals. They lost to the team of Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova, but her performance at a Grand Slam drew attention. She thrived at the top level for many years as one of the leading players in Japanese tennis.

Pickleball career

After retiring from tennis she switched to pickleball and reached No. 44 in the world rankings. At her first US pro tournament she pulled off an upset over Salome Devidze. On the PPA Tour Asia she pairs with Nasa Hatakeyama in mixed doubles and thrives on the international stage. She is a PJF (Pickleball Federation of Japan) certified pro.

Play style

Her hallmark is play that makes use of the high-level skill and doubles experience built in tennis. She is especially well regarded for her reading and shot placement in doubles, and her WTA doubles No. 13 pedigree carries over into pickleball.

📎 Reference: Pickleball.com | Wikipedia | PJF