I reached the Wimbledon semi-finals before retiring from tennis at 46 – now I run my own bakery
KIMIKO DATE used to be a top tennis player.
And she even reached the semi-finals of prestigious tournament Wimbledon.
But after retiring from tennis for a second time aged 46, she now runs her own successful bakery in Tokyo.
Date, 52, hails from Japan and was once ranked No4 in the world.
As well as winning the Japan Open a record four times, Date also reached the semis of the Australian Open in 1994, the French Open in 1995, and Wimbledon in 1996.
The ace retired that same year before launching a comeback in 2008, going to win the 2009 Korea Open while reaching the US Open doubles semi-final.
Date, who was married to German racing driver Michael Krumm until 2016, then retired for a second time in 2017.
But she did not hang around as she decided to open a bakery in Tokyo.
The shop sells German and French breads and pastries, as well as other Japanese products.
And in a nod to her former husband, who remains a good friend, Date named the bakery ‘Frau Krumm’.
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Date told the Japan Times in 2019: “My love of bread began when I started touring Europe in my late teens. Up until then I was only into Japanese food, but as I discovered these amazing bakeries and cafes, my tastes changed.
“Each time I went to a new city, I’d try to find new places. After getting married, my appreciation of bread grew stronger. Rather than just searching for shops, I began to consider running my own one.
“I love French bakeries, but as there are many in Tokyo I decided to concentrate more on products from Germany.
“With that in mind, it made sense to name the place ‘Krumm’ rather than ‘Date.’ Despite no longer being married, we still have a good relationship.
“He’s probably the shop’s best customer, regularly coming in to get either a brezel (pretzel) or a laugencroissant (pretzel- croissant), both of which are very popular in the south of Germany.
“I didn’t want anything too extravagant. It’s a small shop in a great location and that’s more than enough for me. I’m not ambitious about making it bigger.
“There’s been a slight increase in the number of customers due to new offices being built around here, however, the impact has been small. Generally, things are stable, just the way I like it.”
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