On July 1, 2026, business-card management service Sansan announced it would expand its sponsorship of pro pickleball players to a three-person setup. It renews contracts with Seiga Hatakeyama and Kei Sawaki, under contract since 2025, and newly welcomes former pro tennis player Rika Fujiwara as ambassador of "Sansan Pickleball Court Ikebukuro," set to open in July. An IT company not only holding players but running a court bearing its own name, and tapping a former Japan-national-team-class tennis figure—this move shows that corporate sports support in Japan is shifting from "sponsorship as advertising" to "involvement as a business." For players wanting to increase courts domestically, who is investing in facilities with what aim is not to be overlooked.
Starting point: from 2 to 3 sponsored players, with a new court ambassador too
This announcement has three key points. The first is renewing contracts with Seiga Hatakeyama and Kei Sawaki, under contract since July 2025. The second is the new signing of Rika Fujiwara. The third is positioning Fujiwara not as a mere contracted player but as "ambassador" of its own court about to open.
Seiga Hatakeyama, a Hokkaido-born player, recorded the first Japanese runner-up finish in the PPA Tour Asia in men's singles at the "PPA Asia 500 Panas Kuala Lumpur Open 2026" held in 2026. Kei Sawaki, a Tokyo-born teenage player, is coming to the fore as a top young talent, with a U-16 title at a world event held in the US and a bronze in women's doubles at the "PPA Asia 500 Macao Open 2026." Building on these two players' achievements, Sansan added an even more well-known name.
Background: why a former French Open doubles semifinalist turned to pickleball
Rika Fujiwara is a player who traveled and competed worldwide in tennis for nearly 20 years. In doubles, she paired with Ai Sugiyama at the 2002 French Open and reached the semifinals. After retiring, she encountered pickleball and, just a few years after switching, won the "PPA Asia 500 Macao Open 2026" singles. It was the first time a Japanese player won singles on the PPA Asia stage.
It's not rare worldwide for racket-sport veterans to produce results in pickleball in a short time, but former pros who can take an international singles title like Fujiwara are limited. Sansan placed a talent combining competitive results and recognition that resonates even with tennis fans as the face of its facility just before opening. Rather than simply enclosing a strong player, the intent of this appointment shows through in designing the story that "go to this facility and you can see the real thing," pairing the court and the player as a set.
Data: Ikebukuro's 7 courts, and a market up 7x in a year
"Sansan Pickleball Court Ikebukuro," where the ambassador will stand, is a large facility using an entire building in Higashi-Ikebukuro. The floor layout is as shown below, with 3 all-weather indoor courts and 4 outdoor courts, 7 in total.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo (Sansogo Ikebukuro Building) |
| Number of courts | 3 indoor courts and 4 outdoor courts, 7 in total |
| On-site facilities | Lounge, changing rooms, showers |
| Hours | Indoor 6:00–23:00 / Outdoor 9:00–21:00 (open year-round) |
| Opening | Scheduled for July 2026 |
Behind a company setting up a facility of this scale in the city center is the growth of the market. In Pickleball One's estimate as of March 2026, Japan's player base is about 330,000. That's a roughly 7x swell in a year from about 45,000 the prior year. In the US, where the sport has taken root, some 50 million people are said to enjoy it, and Japan is an early-growth market that has only just reached the entrance. The size of the headroom is moving a company from a seemingly unrelated field like business-card management.
Reaction: a reception split within the industry
The field's reaction to this announcement organizes broadly into three. The first is a welcoming voice. "If a permanent court where pros gather is built in the city center, a spectating culture will grow," says the player crowd that has struggled with a shortage of facilities, taking it positively. The second is the facility-operator viewpoint, with the view that "a major making a serious equipment investment raises the bar for court quality." The third includes caution. There's concern that "if the sponsorship ends as a passing boom, players' careers are left hanging," watching how far the company commits over the long term. All positions share the recognition that corporate involvement has entered a stage that shapes the sport's foundation.
Implications: what players in Japan should read
Seen from a player's viewpoint, there's practical benefit in this move. First, as company-run permanent courts increase, places to practice unaffected by weather are secured in the city center. The scale of 7 indoor and outdoor courts is designed to handle everything from lessons to tournament operation in one place, and creates chances for beginners to see pro play up close.
Another is that players' career paths become concrete. In an emerging sport where making a living on competition alone is hard, corporate sponsorship and ambassador roles become valuable catch basins. For those switching over from tennis, soft tennis, or badminton, a role like Fujiwara's—"competitive achievement + face of a facility"—is a realistic option that will grow from here. Determining in advance whether your strength is competitive ability, adoption and coaching, or communication reach is the shortcut to drawing support.
Ripple effect: sponsorship shifts from "advertising" to "business"
What makes Sansan's move symbolic is that the form of sponsorship is changing. Conventional corporate sports support centered on "advertising"—putting the company name on uniforms and courts. But this time, in addition to player contracts, it embraces the business of operating its own court. Holding an asset like a facility creates revenue opportunities like lesson income, tournament operation, and corporate usage, changing sponsorship's character from expense to investment.
The same flow is visible at other companies. Like the example of a streaming company fielding pros and stepping into tournaments, companies are emerging that view pickleball not as a "support target" but as a "revenue-generating business area."The case of streaming company 17LIVE holding three pros and moving into tournamentsLined up alongside it, the picture of companies from different industries beginning to push the sport's commercialization comes clearly into view. Players and facility operators can read ahead to practice environments and sponsor-acquisition chances by determining which companies are entering with what revenue models.
Practical info: if you're hunting for a practice environment in the city center
For players hunting for a permanent court in the city center, the arrival of company-led large facilities broadens the options. On top of Ikebukuro's 7-court facility, the Japan entry of foreign brands and a flagship vision of over 20 courts are also in motion. Since indoor/outdoor mix, hours, and lesson availability differ by facility, you'll want to lock in a base that fits your usage style early.
As related moves,US Picklr's first landing in Japan (Makuhari launch, 7 courts in Toyosu in autumn)andPickleball One's flagship vision of over 20 courts in the metropolitan areaare also worth checking alongside, making it easier to follow the changing facility map of the metropolitan area.
Summary: the next move
Sansan's three-person sponsorship setup and court operation are proof that Japanese pickleball has entered the "stage where companies get involved as a business." There are three next actions players should take. First, actually visit company-run permanent courts, including the opening Ikebukuro facility, and compare practice environments. Second, sort out which of your competitive ability, coaching ability, or communication reach is your weapon, and be mindful of the catch basins of sponsorship and ambassador roles. Third, observe entering companies' revenue models and read ahead to which regions and what kinds of facilities are born next. Now, when the market is growing 7x, is exactly when we want to make the changing environment our ally.
