UC IRVINE NOTEBOOK : Kanroji Takes a Bicultural Approach to Tennis

Each time he returns to his native Japan, Shige Kanroji is comforted by the sights and sounds of Tokyo, the breathtaking view of Mt. Fuji, the fragrance of traditional Japanese foods.

But Kanroji, a senior at UC Irvine, also is faced with questions--including some posed by the Japanese press, and others by friends and family.

Does Kanroji, 22, regret his decision to play tennis for an American university? Does he regret not turning professional? And what does he think of his childhood friend and former doubles partner, Shuzo Matsuoka, now a wealthy tennis superstar in Japan?

“They like to compare me, indirectly, to my friend,” Kanroji said. “They say, ‘Don’t you think it’s too late for you in tennis?’ ”

Kanroji does not believe so. In fact, as soon as he graduates in June, Kanroji will turn pro. A manager-friend in Japan, he said, is seeking sponsors. And the Japanese Davis Cup coach, Kanroji said, has kept in touch, and has told Kanroji that his chances to make the team are good.

Still, while Kanroji looks forward to the future, he doesn’t forget the importance of his past--or the excitement of the present.

Kanroji is one of the top players at UCI, which plays today in an invitational at Indian Wells and Monday against Nevada Las Vegas at the Balboa Bay Racquet Club in Newport Beach. He’s expected to be UCI’s No. 2 or 3 singles player and will team with Trevor Kronemann at No. 1 doubles.

Kanroji and his family moved to the United States from Japan when he was in the second grade. His father worked for a Japanese semiconductor company, and the family settled in Palo Alto. Although the family went back to Japan two years later, they returned 10 years later in time for Kanroji to start the ninth grade at Menlo Atherton High School.

During high school, Kanroji played in several international junior tournaments, including representing Japan in the Junior Davis Cup. His best performance came at the Orange Bowl tournament in 1984, when he and Matsuoka reached the final.

The night before the final, Kanroji and Matsuoka stayed up late talking about how great it would be if some day they could play together representing Japan in the Davis Cup. “We were talking about it so much, we were too excited to sleep,” Kanroji said. “That’s probably why we lost the final match the next day.”

The two friends went their separate ways: Kanroji to UCI, Matsuoka to Japan.

“(Matsuoka) is a really big star now in Japan, making lots of money,” Kanroji said. “I’m happy for him to do well. We talk a lot. We respect each other. . . .

“But to me, education is real important. You need something after tennis. And going through college is a good experience. It’s good for growing.”

It was his growth--emotionally, socially and culturally--that has made his decision to go to college worthwhile, Kanroji said. When he started at UCI, Kanroji says he was very shy and, in some ways, single-minded.

“I think I’m still a shy person, but before, tennis was the only thing in my life,” he said. “I never thought of friends or friendship. But Coach (Greg) Patton really cares about that. He encourages (developing friendships among) teammates. I’m more well-rounded now, I think.”

While Kanroji says he has become a more aggressive player, he is careful to keep it on the court. That, he says, is his way of combining the personalities of two cultures.

“The culture here is very competitive,” Kanroji said. “I think American people like to compete; they like to be No. 1. In Japan, I think people work more with others, it’s a group effort, they’re competitive but in a different way.”

Last year at the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. championships, Irvine junior Carsten Hoffmann had stomach flu and Kanroji continually ran errands for him, delivering him peach halves from the hotel restaurant. “Shige had his own match to get ready for,” Hoffmann said. “He’s just a really good, good person.”

Even though he misses Japan, Kanroji said he does not want to limit himself to playing tennis only in his native country, as many Japanese pro players do.

“The money’s so good there, a lot of players get spoiled,” he said, adding that whatever money he makes as a pro will be kept, with his blessing, “out of my reach” by his parents and manager.

“It’s tough to go back to Japan (because) I see my friends and I see my home, I come back and I’m so homesick,” Kanroji said. “Every time I go back I become Japanese. That’s who I am.

“But I want to become not just a Japanese tennis player, but a player who will play tournaments around the world.”

Anteater Notes

Horace Mitchell, Irvine’s vice chancellor of student affairs and interim athletic director, will address the university’s athletic director search situation Monday at Bill Mulligan’s weekly luncheon, noon at the Irvine Hilton. . . . Freshman Yvonne Catala, the leading scorer on the women’s basketball team with an average of 11.7 points a game, injured her knee in last week’s game against Nevada Las Vegas and will be out at least a week.