ATP Tour
ATP star-turned-TV personality Matsuoka on Alcaraz & Sinner’s ‘new tennis’
Former World No. 46, also known for motivational speaking, is at Nitto ATP Finals
November 14, 2025
Andrew Eichenholz/ATP Tour
Shuzo Matsuoka is in Turin to commentate on the action at the 2025 Nitto ATP Finals.
By Andy West
The ATP Tour is in the midst of an exciting new era, and Shuzo Matsuoka knows it.
Renowned in his native Japan as a sports commentator, television presenter and motivational speaker, Matsuoka is well-qualified to comment on the current state of tennis: He is a former No. 46 in the PIF ATP Rankings, a one-time ATP Tour champion, and was a quarter-finalist at Wimbledon in 1995.
Despite having commentated on the Nitto ATP Finals from a studio in Japan on several occasions, Matsuoka is this week visiting the prestigious season finale in person for the first time. The 58-year-old did not hesitate when asked for his opinion on the ATP Tour’s most eye-catching current stars.
“At the moment I like [Carlos] Alcaraz and [Jannik] Sinner,” Matsuoka told ATPTour.com in Turin. “I had an interview with them at the Australian Open and also at the US Open. They were so nice.
“I’ve been coaching juniors for 25 years at the Japan Tennis Association. Kei Nishikori and all those guys. Tennis has completely changed. Alcaraz and Sinner play a new tennis. Also the speaking, the way they act, it’s all new. So I had to change myself, the speaking, the way I act. Tennis is changing, so in Japan we have to start the new generation and new tennis also in Japan too. It’s a mental approach.”
Matsuoka, who finished his playing career with 145 tour-level wins, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, is in Turin to commentate for Japanese broadcaster UNEXT, while he is also filming his own experience at the Nitto ATP Finals.
“I’m very excited,” he said. “This is the first time I’ve been to the event. I was doing the television coverage in Japan, with Kei Nishikori, Novak Djokovic and everyone. I was commentating, but this is my first time coming here and it is completely different. It’s like a show. The players, everybody, make it feel like the Finals.
“I want to introduce how big the Nitto ATP Finals are and how tennis is improving [to people in Japan. Not just watching it. The whole show, the food, the places. Those things I think are very important. I am learning, so I am taking many things from here and will bring them to Japan and use them at the Japan Open to change and make more exciting things for tennis.”
Matsuoka’s colourful and varied post-playing career also includes motivational speaking. He is known around the world for his short videos that usually involve him delivering encouraging phrases to viewers, while he has also hosted a weekly cooking show, Kuishinbo! Bansai, since 2000. For Matsuoka, any visit to Italy is also a reminder of the social importance of food.
“Eating is a passion and [relates to] how you feel,” he said. “Italy has this feeling in the culture. The food, the water. When they eat, they eat, it is always with family, and that is a very good thing, I think. Not alone. The family and friends are important for tasting too. I have a couple of days here, so I also want to concentrate on eating and restaurants. I just had a pizza here and it is completely different in Japan.”
