Note: The following appears in the Boston College gameday football program.
Ryuhei Azuma has already made a name for himself within the tennis community. As the No. 69 ranked junior on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) circuit and the No. 2 ranked recruit in his home country, the freshman from Osaka, Japan is looking to continue to grow his game at Clemson.
Azuma began playing tennis at an early age and has loved the game ever since. His father is a tennis coach who got him started in the sport around the age of eight.
Prior to attending Clemson, Azuma competed in numerous ITF Junior events, where he played against some of the world’s top, young tennis athletes. Azuma has beaten nine of the top-100 players, including five in the top 50 the last two years.
In July 2019, the freshman won the J2 Shanghai event, dropping just one set along the way. Additionally, Azuma qualified for the U.S. Junior Open and Australian Junior Open.
“When I win a match, I am very happy,” said Azuma. “That feeling does not compare to other things. It feels really good.”
For Azuma, tennis is a top priority. When choosing where he would spend his future, for the first year, he wanted to be able to continue playing tennis at a high level while also furthering his education at a university that would best suit his needs. Azuma believed Clemson was the best place to do so.
“When I visited here last year, I was excited, because there was a great facility here and great coaches and teammates. I thought it would be better than Japan for tennis and for studying English.”