Our Town Inagi 2023: Yasutoki Takami

Inagi City wins the 43rd Tokyo Municipal Tennis Tournament (Ota Cup)

Yasuyo Takami (40 years old), a resident of Higashi-Naganuma, participated as both a coach and player in this tournament held at Showa no Mori Sports Center on July 16, 2023, and achieved a remarkable victory.
This tournament is divided into Division 1 (12 municipalities) and Division 2 (remaining municipalities), and is contested in a team tournament format with 7 doubles matches per game. The Inagi City team is composed of players who have achieved excellent results in tennis tournaments held twice a year in the city.
Reflecting on the tournament, Takami said, "This is my third year as a coach, but due to the impact of COVID-19, tournaments have not been held, and we have not been able to achieve satisfactory results, so I felt a lot of pressure as a coach. However, as a player, I was able to play freely with the feeling that even if I lost, my teammates would do their best."

On the other hand, I think that none of us participants, including the athletes from other cities, expected Inagi City to win the championship. When I asked about the reasons for overturning such expectations and achieving the wonderful result of winning, I was told, "Until now, the strategies for the matches were often decided solely by the coach, and the players just followed the coach's instructions. However, this year, with the generational change within the team and an increase in younger players, the atmosphere of the team has become more harmonious, and not only the coach but also the players have been able to think about strategies together, which I believe was a major reason for our unity as a team leading up to the tournament and ultimately our victory."

Mr. Takami started playing tennis in the 5th grade. He was inspired to start by a close friend. When he became a junior high school student, he balanced tennis school and club activities, and in his 3rd year of junior high, he even participated in the Kanto tournament. Mr. Takami loves tennis so much that he says, "I can't imagine a life without tennis." He believes the charm of tennis is that "it can be enjoyed regardless of age or gender."
Mr. Takami's future goal is to "work hard to achieve good results as the coach of Inagi City." Mr. Takami's further challenges continue.